The Son and Nephew of the Maurders: The Sorcerer's Stone
by Yugioash
Summary: What if Peter call James away from the Potter Cottage the night Voldemort attack? What if James came back to find his wife dead but his son alive? What if James started teaching Astronomy at Hogwarts? What if Sirius and Remus were around to help raise Harry? How will this impact the life of Harry Potter? What if Neville was part of Harry's group of friends? Only one way to find out
1. The Unfortunate Night

**A/N:** I'm going to make this clear. I don't own the Harry Potter series or it's characters. That right goes to JK Rowling

* * *

 **Son and Nephew of the Maurders: The Sorcerer's Stone**

 **Unfortunate Night**

James couldn't believe his luck. He was supposed to be hiding with his wife and their fifteen-month old son Harry safe, but Peter called him to meet him at his house.

Lily said it was okay for him to go, that she and Harry would be safe. But when James arrived at Peter's house, he didn't find his childhood friend anywhere. In fact, the place seemed deserted. James scoped the entire area, pushing his glasses up his face so he could see better.

At first James didn't find anything as he rubbed his hand through the back his dark messy hair. It been a long time since he done this, but something about this seemed unsettling. Why would Peter call him here?

Then James the living room once more and that's when he noticed the note. It was under a photo of him at 16 along with a fair skin boy with dark hair name Sirius Black—James best friend and Harry's godfather, another kid with sandy hair and somewhat pale compression like he spend a quarter of his life underground or indoors: Remus Lupin, and a cubby short boy who seem edgy: Peter Petegrew.

James took the note and opened it only to find one word: _Sorry._

At first James was confused, but he quickly decided that Peter must had to go somewhere else. It did take him a while to agree to go up and Peter always seem to be called off somewhere else—saying it was family matters. So the note must be about that.

James decided to head back to the Potter Cottage. James don't like being away from his wife and son too long with that psycho Voldemort on the loose. He and Lily already had three encounters with the guy, as did Frank and Alice Longbottom. Cause of it Harry, and the Longbottom's son (born a day before Harry) lives were endanger and both families went into hiding.

Sure he has a secure secret keeper, but James still feels like he should be on guard.

James disappeared in a loud _Pop_ and reappear outside the Peaceful village of Godric Hollow—named after one of the founders of Hogwarts school of witch craft and wizardry's founder's Godric Gryffindor.

James straightened his dark cloak and walked through the village. At the far end of town was a small family size cottage that most muggles—none magical folks, and wizards and witches would ignore because of the magical ward placed on the cottage. But not to those who knows the secret location.

But something was wrong. It was too quiet for a place housing a fifteen month old. The lights in the windows were flickering as if there was some sort of electrical shortage (Lily insisted on having a few muggle items in the house).

James dug out his wand so he be ready for anything and walked in.

…

Inside looked like a disaster zone, as if someone was throwing furnitures just to get destroyed.

 _Lilly must have charmed the furniture to attack_ , James thought to himself. His wife was a gifted student and her wand specialize in Charm magic.

"Lilly!" James called.

No answer. Not good.

James snuck up the stairs and saw picture frames blasted off the walls as moving pictures were scattered all over the place.

The first place James checked was Harry's nursery. If there was an attack here, that's where he and Lily go first in order to protect their son.

James opened the door in the far left that served as his and Lily's son's nursery and was welcomed to a gruesome sight.

Sprawled on the floor face first was a young woman with red long hair. She looked as if she was attacked from behind.

James choked as he nearly collapsed on the floor, next to his wife. He leaned down and brought the body close to him as she didn't move or breathe.

"Lilly no…" James sobbed. "Why?"

Suddenly his thoughts were broken when he heard the cry of a toddler. James almost forgot about his son, so when he heard the cries, James gently placed his wife on the ground and raced toward the crib.

There a fifteen month old who looked almost identical to James was crying. On the infant's forehead was a cut in the shape of a lightning bolt, but other than that, he was okay.

James chuckled in relief. He was still grieving over his wife's death, but he was glad to see their son alive.

James scooped up the baby and started calming him down. "It's okay, Harry. Daddy's hear. Daddy got you."

The baby quieted down and opened his eyes, revealing to be green—Lilly's eyes.

Just then James heard someone coming through the door and with one hand grabbed his wand and tuned to see a black greasy hair pale man. Severus Snape.

"YOU!" James growled. "What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same, Potter," Severus said. "How is it you're alive?"

"I was called out of the house. I just came back to find my home destroyed and my wife dead," James responded. "But you probably know that. Which one of your Death Eater Buddies did this?"

Severus stopped listening after he heard James brought up Lilly. He looked down at the lifeless body.

"No… he promised she would be spared," Severus said.

"Who?" James responded. "Because whoever it is, I swear, I'll make sure personally they get the Dementor—"

"Voldemort," Severus replied. "He came here personally to kill your son."

James faltered. "That's impossible. Harry's alive! He's right here!" James referred to the baby in his arms. "If Voldemort came to kill Harry, he would be dead!"

The ruckuss had caused the fifteen month old to start bawling once more.

"This is impossible," Severus said.

"I believe it is, Severus." A voice said.

A tall, thin, very old man with silver hair and beard came into the room wearing long robes, purple cloak high-heeled, buckled boots and half moon spectacles over his blue light bright eyes.

"Professor Dumbledore," James lowered his wand, "What brings you here?"

"I came to see what I heard of Voldemort coming here is true," Dumbledore replied. "Which I came to know thanks to Severus here."

Dumbledore patted Severus shoulder.

"What—Dumbledore, have you lost your mind? Severus is a Death Eater! For all we know he did this!" James yelled.

"No James, he didn't. He was the one who came forward to me about Voldemort's plans," Dumbledore said. "He has told me that Voldemort got insight from your Secret Keeper: Sirius Black."

"Sirius didn't have anything to do with this," I said. "Lily and I change secret keepers. Peter is the secret keeper."

"Pettigrew," Severus said.

"I see," Dumbledore responded.

"But Peter wouldn't do this," James argued. "He's…"

James faltered as he realized what the note really meant. Peter purposely call James out of the house.

"If what you say is true, then I'm afraid Peter did," Dumbledore said. "Peter has betrayed you."

James shook his head. "That still doesn't explain why my son is alive? If Voldemort truly came here…"

"He would have attempted to kill Harry, which he has," Dumbledore said. "I believe that cut on your son's forehead is proof."

James found himself looking down at his son—more precisely, the cut.

"How?" Severus asked

"From what I can guess—" Dumbledore asked. "Lilly must have unconsciously cast a charm on Harry strong enough to repel even the killing curse when she sacrificed herself for her son. And by doing so, Voldemort's spell back fired on himself."

James choked back a sob. "Sounds like something Lilly will do."

"James. For the time being, I think it's best you take Harry somewhere safe," Dumbledore said. "At least until everything is resolved."

James nodded. "I'll stop by Sirius place."

"Very well," Dumbledore said. "Meanwhile I better inform the Minister of Magic about this."

Dumbledore left the room leaving only James and Severus.

"I'll be on my way." Severus headed toward the door.

"Did you really ask Voldemort to spare Lily?" James asked.

Severus stopped. "Yes, Potter."

With that the greasy wizard left.

James looked down at his wife. He knew he had to leave soon but he didn't want to leave Lily like this. With a flick of his wand, James conjured a blanket and placed it over his wife's body.

"I'll be back Lily," James promised. "After I get Harry to safety, I'll be back to give you a proper funeral."

Then James looked down at his son, who went from crying to sleeping. "I'll protect you Harry. You won't ever be alone."

* * *

 **A/N:** I been wanting to post a Harry Potter fanfiction for a while, and I decided why not now. But fair warning, when I'm finish with 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Blood of Olympus' this series will be part of a poll I started up to let the readers pick which one of five of the incompleted stories list that will change monthly.

Any new stories I started while working on the winning poll vote of the month will be worked on along with that story for the month then it will be part of the poll list.


	2. As Time Gone By

**A/N:** I'm going to make this clear. I don't own the Harry Potter series or it's characters. That right goes to JK Rowling

* * *

 **As Time Gone By**

Nearly ten years has passed since James came home to find his home a wreck from the inside, his wife dead, and his son was alive.

Fortunately, with some work with the Ministry, Peter was arrested and send to Azkaban as a death eater. Despite the fact that Peter calling James away from the cottage might have saved James' life, James never forgave his former best friend for betraying his and Lily's trust.

It wasn't until Harry's second birthday, James moved back to the Potter cottage on Dumbledore's request. Dumbledore had put more wards on the cottage that boost the charm Lily put on Harry on the place. But there was a catch. James had let Harry visit Lily's sister Petunia and her husband and son for two weeks a year to secure her family's safety from any Death Eaters that escaped punishment (or to secure the 'normal' life of Petunia's family the rest of the year).

James didn't admit it, but he also agreed to do this so Petunia get to know her nephew for Lilly's sake. James knew that—even though Petunia would never admit it, but the death of her sister devastated her. After all, even though Lilly and Petunia never got along and Petunia denied being related to her, they were still sisters, and some part of Petunia loved Lily, just as much as Sirius loved his brother Regulus despite their differences.

When Harry was four James started working at Hogwarts as Astronomy Professor.

At first James was allowed to bring Harry during the school day, and bring him to Sirius or Remus to stay at night when James had class. But one night Sirius pulled a prank visit by disrupting James' class by bringing Harry to him. Harry claimed it was because he wanted to see his daddy teach, but truth was Sirius bribed Harry to say that so he wouldn't get blamed for disrupting the class since the worse punishment James gives Harry is grounding him from his broom.

Not only that, but when Sirius or Remus both can't watch over Harry (which happens with Sirius date nights and Remus' condition), James would leave Harry with family friends: like Frank's mother who been watching over his and Alice's son Neville after his parents were drove crazy by a death eater. Or with Molly Weasley and her family, who James knew through her late brothers who died in the same order he and Lilly had joined. Or in few occasions with Sirius' sanest cousin Andromeda who—like Sirius—was the black sheep of the Black Family. Although Andromeda's reason was because she choose to marry a muggle-born over a pure blood against her family wishes.

Now at the Potter cottage, everything looked almost like it did before Voldemort. Only there were more photos of a James with Harry over the years: When James taught Harry to ride a broom for the first time, when Harry rode James in his animagus form (A stag), Harry placing flowers on his mother's grave.

In each photo Harry looked more and more like his dad, with the exception that Harry had green eyes and a thin lightning bolt shape scar on his forehead.

But at the same time, James made sure there were pictures of Lilly and told Harry stories of his mother so that he knew what she was like. He even showed Harry some pensive memories.

The room that once was Harry's nursery was now your average bedroom with a dresser, a trunk full of Harry's stuff over the years, a twin size bed with the room painted red and gold—the colors of Gryffindor.

On the bed was a ten-year-old boy (almost eleven) with black messy hair sound asleep when there was a knock on the door.

"Harry! Wake up!" a voice hollered.

Harry groaned and turned his head.

"Come on Harry," James said

Harry didn't respond.

"Suite yourself."

A few minutes later a bucket levitated through the door and over Harry's head. Then the bucket tilt over and splashed ice cold over Harry.

Harry hot up, soaked and shivering as James came through.

"Really, dad?" Harry asked.

"I tried to wake you up with other ways," James said. "Now get dressed we're going to the zoo today."

That woke Harry up. It been a week since his yearly visit with his aunt, and any time Harry makes it a couple of weeks without accidentally using magic on his cousin and his friends, James takes Harry and his friends to a trip as a reward. Last year James pulled some strings with some of his buddies in the Ministry of Magic to get tickets to a Quidditch game between England and Ireland. This year James promised Harry a trip to the Zoo.

This year Harry choose the zoo after his cousin Dudley spend two weeks bragging about his birthday trip to the zoo with one of his school friends. Dudley even found a way to turn it into something to mock Harry for, so James promised his son that if Harry take it for the remaining two weeks, he will take Harry to the zoo.

With a wave of his wand, James cleared the water from Harry's bed and Harry himself.

"Get dressed! Ron and Neville will be here soon," James told his son before leaving.

Harry got up put on some round rim glasses. Ever since he was five, Harry needed glasses, which almost complete his transformation into looking like his dad. His uncle/godfather Sirius often joked around about it, calling Harry mini-James. He even manages to trick Harry's other uncle Remus into betting that by time Harry hit puberty and his voice is done breaking, he would sound like James.

Sirius and Remus weren't Harry's uncles by blood, but Harry looked up to them like they were uncles. He heard so many tales of his father and uncles time together in school as the legendary Maurders that combine the fact that they help raised Harry, Harry saw them as more like family than the Dursleys.

Harry got dressed in basic English muggle clothes.

He came to the living room just as his first guest same through. A plumped woman with fiery red hair with one child with her. The first one was around Harry's age, a tall boy with big hands and feet with freckles all over his face and fiery red hair.

"Molly, thanks for letting Ron come with us," James responded.

"OH, it's no problem, James," Molly said. "Arthur would have volunteered to come with you, but worked called him in for a raid."

"That's okay." James responded.

"Hey Ron, you want to play wizard chess before Neville gets here?" Harry asked.

"Yeah!" Ron responded.

They raced upstairs to Harry's room to get his chess set.

One of the reasons Harry and Ron were friends was due to the fact that the Weasleys were one of few magical families that didn't treat Harry like he was a fad as the boy who defeated Voldemort and survived.

James tried his best keeping his son out of the spotlight since in truth it was his wife's own sacrifice that led to Voldemort's down fall, but whenever they stop by a magical community, there always been someone who treated Harry like a celebrity. It didn't help that some idiot publishers decided to publish books on Harry's amazing survival without mentioning once about Lily's love saving him. Too them Lily's death was just something ordinary in the war against the Dark Lord, and that the true story was the boy who lived.

James would have sued them if Dumbledore didn't stop him.

But Molly Weasley understood that Harry's survival was due to Lily's sacrifice. After all, it she was in Lily's shoes and her kids was in Harry's, she would probably done the same subconsciously.

Not too long after Augusta Longbottom came with her grandson: Neville.

Neville was a round face boy with dark hair. After finding out what happened to Frank and Alice, James and Augustus decided to arrange Harry and Neville to have play dates together, and quickly the two became friends, even when it was thought that Neville was a squib (a non-magical child from a magical family) until he was eight when his great-uncle accidentally dropped Neville out of the window sever floors up and Neville survived by bouncing harmlessly on the ground.

With Neville Ron and Harry hanging out together, Sirius often joked how James just set up the next generation of Maurders. Although Ron's twin older brothers Fred and George were more Maurder material than them. Harry Ron and Neville hardly ever got into as much trouble was James Sirius and Remus had, when they do pull pranks, it's mostly to get back on Ron's older twin brothers for their own pranks. Like when Fred replaced Ron's teddy bear for a spider for breaking his toy wand, Harry and Neville helped Ron get back by hiding dungbombs into the twin's bedroom. It took the twins an hour of blaming each other to realize who caused the prank and another hour to find the dungbomb.

"You're not taking care of the boys yourself, I hope James?" Augustus asked.

James laughed. "Nah. Remus agreed to come help keep these three little second generation Maurders out of trouble since Arthur and Sirius is working today."

"Oh, good. At least I know Remus won't let the kids get away with any mischief," Augustus said.

"I don't let the kids get away with mischief," James responded.

"No, but you don't notice anything until someone else does," a new voice replied.

A man around James' age with sand-color messy hair had appeared in the house.

"Uncle Moony!" Harry tackled his uncle in a hug.

"Hey Harry," Remus ruffled his son's hair.

"Well since Remus is here, I better go," Augustus said. "If Neville decides to stay for the night, foo me to let me know. Other than that, I want him home for dinner."

"Yeah, we know," James responded.

…

Shortly after Augustus, left everyone piled into a ministry rented car James got for the day since they were going to a Muggle community.

"So Charlie settled in his new job at the Dragon reserve and the dragons are huge. Mum nearly had a heart attack when she heard about Charlie almost being burned by a Norweigon Ridgeback," Ron regale the news of his second older brother Charlie Weasley who had moved to Romania to study dragons after graduating from Hogwarts a few months ago.

"Well at least Charlie is adjusting," Remus said.

"Hey dad, can we go to Romania next year to visit Charlie?" Harry asked.

"Maybe, buddy. But first we need to get you three through your Hogwarts years," James said.

"That's if I can get into Hogwarts," Neville said.

"I wouldn't worry about that, Neville," Remus said. "I'm sure your magic has grown enough for you to receive your letter."

"Yeah, don't worry," Harry responded. "Grandpa Dumbledore has to be crazy not to send you a letter."

James couldn't help but smile at his son. Harry may have inherit some of his mischief personality, but Harry also had Lily's kindness. Whenever Ron complains about how poor his family is, or when Neville is worried about letting down his parents, Harry was there to support them, just as Lily was always there to support her friends.

"James, are you all right?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because you just missed our exit."

James smile turned into a frown and he muttered some incoherent words under his breath about stupid muggle roads as. Why do they have to drive there again? Oh, right. Because it was a muggle location and magic is not allowed to be used in front of Muggles.


	3. A Not-So Non-Magical Day at the Zoo

**A/N:** I'm going to make this clear. I don't own the Harry Potter series or it's characters. That right goes to JK Rowling

* * *

 **A Non-Magical Day at the Zoo**

After two or three more missed exits and Remus taking over the wheel from James, they manage to make it to the Zoo.

"Dad, I think next time we should let uncle Moony drive the whole way," Harry said.

James muttered and pouted as everyone got out of the car.

"How is it you can drive a motorcycle across country and yet you miss so many exits?" Remus asked.

"For your information, I haven't drove my motorcycle in years," James responded.

It was true. Even before that night, Lilly forced James to put away his motorcycle since Harry couldn't ride them yet. After that night, James mostly stick to foo powder, or apparition to get from place to place. Even once in a while using a porkey. Heck, Sirius took Harry on more rides on his Motorcycle than James have.

The two adults and three children manage to get into the zoo where Remus got the map of the place so James don't lead them in circles.

"Okay, what should we see first?" Remus asked.

"Lions!" all three boys yelled.

James chuckled. "Future Gryffindors in the making."

Their first stop was the lions exhibit. Unfortunately the only exciting thing about them was that they would sometime roar as they yawn as they lay around.

"It says here Lions are one of the dominant preditors in Africa," Remus tried to entertain the boys by reading them facts.

"No offense, Moony, but I don't see these beast being a dominant species of anything," James said.

"I'm just trying to entertain the boys," Remus said. "By the way, according to this Lions are one of the only known big cats that lives in groups known as a pride."

James shook his head as Remus kept trying to entertain the boys with facts. James knew for a fact this is Remus' first time at a zoo. Sometimes he wonders if Remus wasn't sorted into Gryffindor House would he have been sorted to Ravenclaw House.

James bought everyone ice cream before they went to the Gorilla exhibit. The gorilla there was sitting while scratching his head while eating a banana."

"He reminds me of my cousin Dudley." Harry said.

"Really? I thought he was more like Neville," Ron joked as Neville sitting at a nearby bench was doing the exact same thing, but with an icecream comb instead of banana.

Both boys laughed at their friend's actions.

"What?" Neville asked.

"Nothing," both replied with a few snickers.

Their next stop was the bird exhibit before they got something to eat.

While getting their order, the female cashier tried to flirt with James who turned her down. After Lily's death, James haven't gotten back into the dating business. He knew Lily would want him to be happy for their son, but James just couldn't find a girl that caught his heart.

Sirius had tried to hook up James several times, but each date ended without a girlfriend.

After everyone ate, they went to the reptilian exhibit—although they mostly looked at lizards and turtles found there, and paid no attention to the snakes. At least most of them did.

Harry was walking through the exhibit when a certain exhibit showing a Boa Constrictor.

Harry remember hearing Dudley complained about a huge snake that could crush his dad doing absolutely nothing. And judging from this sleeping giant snake, this must be it.

"So you're the snake my cousin complained about," Harry said. "It's all right. I won't expect you to do anything."

To Harry's surprise, the snake looked up gratefully.

"Do you hear me?" Harry asked. "Can you understand me?"

The Boa Constrictor nodded. Harry didn't know what to do. His dad always told him not to do anything Muggles would consider weird, but he didn't know if this count as one. He heard of wizards that talk to snakes, but he never thought of himself as one.

"Where are you from?" Harry asked to test this.

The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.

Boa Constrictor, Brazil.

"So you're from Brazil?"

The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see."

"Harry what are you doing?" James asked.

"Nothing," Harry lied.

James looked at the boa constrictor that was looking at Harry with interest.

"I think it's time we find the next exhibit," James said. "Maybe the giraffes, or birds."

Harry didn't argue as his dad went to round up the others who were looking at an iguana.

…

The rest of the day went normal, but by dinner it was time for Neville and Ron to go home since no one was in the mood to stay for the night. Remus took the two home.

"Dad, am I a freak?" Harry asked James during dinner.

"What? No!" James responded, "Harry James Potter, you're no freak. Why would you ask that."

Harry admitted about the conversation to the boa constrictor. James was shock to say the least, but he then sighed. Dumbledore warned him there might be some magical side effects to Voldemort's spell back firing on Harry. But James was just hoping it had to do with Harry being small for his age.

"Harry, it's true talking to snakes is—a rare gift among wizards—but that doesn't make you a freak," James replied. "It just means you're gifted, and how you use that gift is up to you."

"Thanks dad," Harry responded.

After dinner Harry went up to bed.

James looked at the photo of him and Lilly holding baby Harry thinking to himself: _Lilly, I wish you were here. Maybe you can help me with this new found gift of Harry's._


	4. Harry's Eleventh Birthday Surprise

**A/N:** I'm going to make this clear. I don't own the Harry Potter series or it's characters. That right goes to JK Rowling

* * *

 **Harry's Birthday Surprise**

Weeks passed since the incident at the Zoo. Harry told Neville and Ron about his ability. As shocking as it was, Neville and Ron accepted Harry's gift.

Now it was July 31st and James was sound asleep on his comfortable bed.

Then the door swung open and Harry jumped onto the bed. "Dad wake up!" Harry yelled.

James groaned.

"Come on dad!" Harry shook his father's shoulder. "It's my birthday."

That woke James up as he realize why harry was excited. Today wasn't just Harry's birthday, it was the day he gets his letter.

Still, James muttered, "Didn't you just have a birthday yesterday?"

"That was Neville's birthday, dad. Today is mine!" Harry complained. "Come on! I want to open my presents."

"Fine!" James got up as Harry raced downstairs.

Downstairs was piles of presents that would make Dudley jealous. Last night James stayed up until past midnight to get these presents while Harry was asleep, as he does every year.

Harry started opening presents and James cooked their breakfast. Harry received a new chess set from Remus, a 'Quidditch Through the Ages' from Sirius, a box of homemade sweets from the Weasleys, a potted plant from Neville's grandmother, a new wand holster for when he gets his wand from the Tonks family and a bunch of stuff from his friends he made during his visits at Hogwarts.

When Harry was done, he noticed two presents were missing, one from Hagrid the game keeper of Hogwarts that he suspect will come later, and one from his dad.

As James came in with two plates full of eggs bacon and sausages and placed them on the table, Harry asked. "Dad, where's the present from you?"

James frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I opened all my presents but the one from you is missing," Harry argued.

"Are you sure? Huh." James reached into his cloak and then bring out a pack, "Oh, here it is. I guess I forgot to add it to the pile."

Harry took the parcel and ripped it open. Inside was a silvery cloak that Harry immedaiately recognize.

"Dad-is this-your Cloak of invisibility?" Harry asked.

"Yep," James replied. "My father handed it to me on my eleventh birthday, as did his father before him, as did his father before him. It's been our family for hundreds of years. And now I passed it down to you."

Harry hugged his dad. "Thanks dad!"

"No problem, buddy," James replied. "But keep in mind, if I catch you using the cloak to do anything I wouldn't do, I _will_ ground you from using it and take it back until your punishment is over."

"Yes sir." Harry replied.

They ate breakfast together, up until they heard what sounded like a bird pecking at the window.

When Harry and James looked to see a beautiful snow owl with emerald eyes that neither of them recognized at the window with two letters.

James opened the window and the snow owl flew in and landed next to Harry's plate.

Harry noticed one of the two letters was the hogwarts letter he was waiting for, but the second one was from Hagrid. Curious to see what was going on, Harry opened the first letter:

 _Dear Harry,  
Happy birthday. Sorry about the late present, but it should send you your first Hogwarts Letter since I figure you been waiting anxiously for it. Since first years are allowed either an owl, a cat, or a toad, I bought this owl from the owl shop the other day, and pulled some strings with Dumbledore to have it send your letter.  
I hope you enjoy your present.  
Hagrid_

The owl nipped at Harry's ears.

"What does it say?" James asked.

"The owl is a gift from Hagrid," Harry replied, "He pulled some strings with Dumbledore to have it send my Hogwarts letter."

"Sounds like something Hagrid will do," James said.

Harry quickly opened the Hogwarts letter:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL  
 _of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore  
 _(Orer of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

 _Dear Mr. Potter,_  
 _We are pleased inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclose a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
Term begins on September 1.  
Your sincerely  
Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Head Mistress_

Sure enough Harry found the list of school supplies.

"Can we go shopping? Can we? Please?" Harry asked.

"Yes, but after we're done eating," James said. "I'll floo Augusta and Molly to see if they can come with us with Neville and Ron."

Harry nodded and quickly started eating.


	5. Surprising Trip to Diagon Alley

**A/N:** I'm going to make this clear. I don't own the Harry Potter series or it's characters. That right goes to JK Rowling

* * *

 **Surprising Trip to Diagon Alley**

As it turns out the Weasleys had already planned their own trip, to Diagon Alley, but Neville was available.

James and Harry stood in front of the fire place with floo powder.

Harry went first, as he grabbed a hand full of the powder.

"Leaky Cauldron!" Harry yelled as he threw the powder down. Green flames formed and Harry rose through the air and spin around until he crash landed into another fireplace that was inside a pub.

Harry quickly scrambled out before his father fell through.

"Well, that was fun," James responded sarcastically.

"You always could show off while foo traveling," a voice said.

James and Harry turned to a dark hair fair skin man drinking butterbeer.

"Uncle Padfoot!" Harry hugged his uncle.

"Hey Harry," Sirius responded. "Did you get my present?"

"Yeah, thanks!" Harry responded.

"We're actually waiting for Augustus and Neville to go shopping," James responded.

"Oh, so Neville got accepted to Hogwarts?" Sirius asked. "Good for him. Remus told me he was worried about not being magical enough for school."

"What are you doing here, Sirius?" James asked as if not knowing already.

"Well, I was supposed to have a drink with my date, but she never showed up," Sirius said.

"You would think you run out of girls to ask by now." James shook his head.

"Hey Uncle Padfoot, are you going to visit us at Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

"Sorry Harry, but no-can-do," Sirius said. "The only reason I was able to in the beginning was so you could see your dad. But now that you're going to be a Hogwarts student, there's no need for me to keep visiting."

"Come on, Sirius," James said. "You and Remus know you can visit Harry through other purposes."

Sirius shook his head.

Suddenly there was a thump followed by another thump at the fire place.

When they looked, they saw it was Neville and his grandmother.

Neville stumbled through the fireplace. Unlike Harry, Neville rarely floo anywhere and never flies. The reason was Neville was a bit of a cluts with that kind of travel, and Augusta tries to keep her grandson alive.

"Neville!" Harry cheered.

"Sorry we're late," Augusta said. "My brother decided to give Neville a toad for making it to Hogwarts and it keeps escaping."

"A toad, huh?" James asked. "Didn't Frank had a toad when he entered Hogwarts."

"Yes," Augusta responded.

"Grandmother also gave me my dad's wand." Neville showed off his pre-used wand.

"No fair, you and Ron already got your wands," Harry pouted.

"Ron has his own wand?" Sirius asked.

"It's actually Charlie's old wand," James responded. "According to Molly, most of Ron's school supplies either belonged to Bill, Charlie, or even Percy since they got him new stuff for making Prefect."

Augustus shook her head. "Ron's lucky to have brothers to inherit school supplies from, but Arthur needs to start considering getting extra pay for his extra work before his daughter becomes a student."

"I already manage to convince Arthur to take advantage of the extra raids for a pay raise," James said. "But if he'll do it, I'm not sure. You know how Arthur gets."

"Yes, yes. I know," Augusta responded.

"Well, you two better take Neville and Harry shopping," Sirius said. "I think I'm going to order a few more glasses before going to check on old Moony."

"Anything to avoid our family home, huh?" James asked, "You know you're always welcome to stay with Harry and me. Or you could take up Dumbledore's offer of teaching position. You know Dumbledore been looking for a replacement for Professor Binns in History of Magic."

"Nah. Teaching is yours and even Moony's thing, Prongs. My thing is catching dark wizards so that I can keep my godson safe to spoiled," Sirius joked.

James shook his head. Sirius wouldn't admit it, but he loves telling stories of actual events. Whenever James come home from Hogwarts to check on Harry (on weekends, holidays when he doesn't have classes to teach), Harry would tell him all the stories Sirius regaled him in about the Order of the Phoenix.

James knew the real reason why Sirius hasn't accepted Dumbledore's request. Sirius don't want to be anything to do with Slytherin House. Sirius knew not all Slytherins were bad (he realized it same time James did), but the house itself reminded Sirius of his brother Regulus, and the sacrifice he made to try to stop Voldemort from within the Death Eaters and every kindred yet cunning Slytherin he met, made him think of Regulus.

James admit, when he first met Sirius' little brother, he wasn't too glad to meet Regulus. Regulus was everything what you expect from a magical family in Slytherin House—unlike Sirius. But when James heard about Regulus' sacrifice in hopes to stop Voldemort, even after joining him, James grew a new respect for the young Black.

"Well, good luck, Sirius," James said. "We better go shopping."

Sirius nodded.

"Neville, Harry, we're going," Augusta called the two boys.

Apparently while James was busy talking to Sirius and Augusta, a lot of the customers decided to greet Harry and shake his hands, which flustered the young wizard as Neville tried to help him.

Harry and Neville nodded followed Augusta and James through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.

"Mr. Potter, may I tap the brick?" Neville asked taking out his wand.

"Sure thing Neville," James responded. "Just remember, three bricks two across."

Neville nodded and used his dad's wand to tap a certain brick three times.

The brick he tapped had quivered, and wiggled in the middle as a small whole appeared. The hole grew wider and wider until they were facing an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned through a shopping district unknown to muggles: Diagon Alley.

When they walked through, the archway shrink instantly back into a solid wall.

The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. There were Cauldrons of all sizes made out of either copper, brass, pewter or silver. Some were self-stirring, others were collapsible.

"We should make a withdraw from the bank before we get the school supplies," James said. "Harry, you do have the list right?"

Harry nodded and took out the list of school supplies:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL _of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

UNIFORM  
First-year students will require:  
1\. Three sets of plain work robes (black)  
2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear  
3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)  
4\. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings  
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

COURSE BOOKS  
All students should have a copy of each of the following:  
 _The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)_ by Miranda Goshawk  
 _A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot  
 _Magical Theory_ by Adalbert Waffling  
 _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_ by Emeric Switch  
 _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ by Phyllida Spore  
 _Magical Draughts and Potions_ by Arsenius Jigger  
 _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander  
 _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_ by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT  
1 wand  
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)  
1 set of glass or crystal phials  
1 telescope  
1 set of brass scales  
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

"I don't see why I have to go without a broom," Harry complained. "I'm a natural flier."

"True, but it's only fair for the other students, Harry." James said, "Besides, technically first years can try out."

"Yeah, with the school brooms that vibrates when you go too high and tends to lean to the left," Harry grumbled.

James shook his head. Harry only knew about that from the times during his visits at Hogwarts he sneaks out to fly. James grounded his son more from flying because of that than anything else. Still, every captain on the school's house teams had reserved Harry a spot as Seeker for when he tries out incase he's sorted into one of them. And if James' and Sirius' plan works out, Harry might get his wish.

Soon they reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops with the words: Gringotts. Standing besides its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold was goblins that were about a head shorter than Harry. He was swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, long fingers and feet. He was greeting a huge man who was twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked wild with his long tangles and bush black hair and beard that hid most of his face, and his hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins.

"Hagrid!" Harry ran up to the man who turned to see Harry.

"Harry! What brings you here?" Hagrid asked.

"We're about to get some money out so we can get Neville and my school supplies," Harry replied.

"As well as other things," James said walking up with Augusta. "Nice to see you, Hagrid."

"Hello Hagrid," Augusta said, "What brings you here?"

"James, Augusta," Hagrid greeted. "I'm about to go in and pick up a package for Dumbledore.

"Maybe we can go in together," Neville said.

"Can we dad?" Harry asked.

"I don't know, I don't want to cause Hagrid too much trouble," James said.

"Oh, it's no problem," Hagrid replied.

"We might as well, James," Augusta said.

"Alright," James responded.

They entered the first pair of doors, only to face a second pair of silver doors, with words engraved upon them:

 _Enter, stranger, but take heed  
Of what awaits the sin of greed,  
for those who take, but do not earn,  
Must pay most dearly in their turn.  
So if you seek beneath our floors  
A treasure that was never yours,  
Thief, you have been warned, beware  
Of finding more than treasure there._

Two more goblins stood at guard and bowed to them as the five of them passed through into a vast marble hall.

About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading underground, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out. Hagrid led the group to the counter.

"Morning," James greeted a goblin. "We've come to take money out of both the Potter's and Longbottom vaults."

"You have his key, sir?"

Augusta and James took out their keys and showed it to the goblin to look at it closely.

"That seems to be in order."

Then Hagrid stepped up. "I'm with them too, for the moment. I've got a letter from Professor Dumbledore." Hagrid handed the goblin the letter as he threw his chest out proudly. "It's about You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."

The goblin read the letter carefully.

"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to all three vaults. Griphook!"

Griphook was yet another goblin who led the ground toward one of the doors leading off to one of the doors.

"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Harry asked.

"Can't tell you," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More than my job worth to tell you that."

James cleared his throat. "Don't worry about it, Harry. I'm sure Dumbledore wouldn't do something to put you kids life's in danger."

"Okay…" Harry grumbled.

Griphook held the door open into a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a large cart meant for a large group (or a half giant in Hagrid's case) came hurtling up the tracks toward them. Everyone climbed in before the cart took off.

Harry remembered the first time he could remember riding a cart. He was four years old, and James was getting some money out of their vault that he might need before heading to Hogwarts to work for the first time since Harry's mum died.

Even now, seven years later, the cart was as thrilling to ride as it was back then. They twist and turned through a maze of passages and corridors. It felt as if they were on some muggle rollercoaster, only instead of going upside down and loop-de-loops there were stalagmites and stalactites growing from the ceiling and floor.

Only Neville and Hagrid didn't seem to enjoy it, as they were slightly green, Hagrid greener than Neville. Even after the cart stopped and the small door in the passage wall opened, they were struggling to find their land legs.

The first vault was the Potter's vault, filled with golden coins known as Galleons, Silver coins known as Sickles, and bronze coins known as Knuts. Part of it was what Lilly had put in to save up for Harry's education. Another part of the treasure was from the seven years James worked at Hogwarts. But most of it came from the money James inherit from his parents when they died, that will also be Harry's to inherit when James passes away, which James hoped isn't anytime soon.

James filled two bags full of coins, one for him and one for Harry before they returned to the cart.

Fortunately, the Longbottom's vault was only a few twist and turns from Harry's. It wasn't as full as the Potter's vault, but Neville's parents left him enough to get him through all seven years at Hogwarts.

"Can we go more slowly?" Hagrid asked as Augusta returned with Neville's bag of coins.

"One speed only," said Griphook.

This time they had to go deeper now as they gathered speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled around tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine.

Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole, which Harry and Neville understood that meant that something important, dangerous, and/or powerful was in it.

"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.

"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," Griphook told Harry and Neville.

"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Neville asked.

"About once every ten years," Griphook said with a nasty grin.

Neville backed away from the door, but Harry leaned forward to see what was inside it. Much to his surprise, the only thing in it was a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat.

Now Harry was especially curious of what was in it, but didn't ask since his father was right behind him.

Soon they were heading back above grounds.

…

Soon they were outside Gringotts, and Neville and Harry were ready to get their school supplies.

"Well, I might as well be on my way," Hagrid said. "I see the three of you at Hogwarts, I hope."

"You know it," James said. "Someone has to teach Astronomy there."

Hagrid nodded and gave his final goodbyes before leaving.

"Well, I think we should get the boys their uniforms first," Augusta said pointing toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occassions.

Harry and Neville looked at each other skeptically. If there's one thing they hate is clothes shopping, but they knew they needed uniforms anyways. It's not like they have older siblings to get hand-me-downs from like Ron.

Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.

"Hogwarts, dears?" she said, when Harry and Neville came through. "Got the lot here—another young man being fitted up just now, in fact.

In the back, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin and a third witch had Harry and Neville stood on two more stools as they slipped two long robes over both of their heads, and began to pin it to the right length.

The boy turned them and sneered like he was seeing something nasty. "Oh, it's you two."

"Draco Malfoy." Harry growled.

If there was someone harry hated more than his own cousin it was Draco Malfoy.

James had took Harry on a few parties during the summer with other magical families, and in many of them Malfoy family were there. And every time Draco and Harry met, they get into this fight since Malfoy saw himself as superior over Harry, since both of Draco's parents were pure bloods and Harry's mother was a muggleborn. What's worse is that Malfoy also tease Longbottom every chance he got.

"I see Longbottom manage to get in Hogwarts," Draco sneered. "The status of the school must have dropped if they let him through."

Harry was about to punch the guy's lights out when Madam Malkin told him, "Hold still!"

"You're done dear," the witch told Malfoy.

Malfoy jumped off the stool and left, but not before saying, "See you at school."

"I hate that guy," said Harry when he left.

"You and me both," Neville said.

…

After they were done being fitted, they had icecream.

"So, I notice Draco Malfoy leaving the shop," James said. "Anything I should know?"

"No dad. Nothing happened," Harry replied.

"Are you sure? I would turn the other cheek if you punched him," James said.

"No dad!"

"You shouldn't encourage him, James," Augusta said, "I thought you have matured more than that."

"It's not like I told Harry to curse Draco," James argued. "Besides, Draco has a bigger ego than old Snivelus use to have."

Harry rolled his eyes. He heard about how his dad and uncles use to prank and curse Severus Snape—Potions Master of Hogwarts. In fact, James tried his best to drill into Harry's head not to repeat any of the stuff he done to Snape as kids no matter how tempting it was.

They bought Neville's and Harry's books next at a shop called Flourish and Blotts… well Augusta Harry and Neville did. James snuck off to check something out in a nearby shop.

After James returned they went to get pewter size two cauldrons. But they did get two sets of brass scales for weighing potion ingredients, and James paid for Neville's collapsible brass telescope as a late birthday present. Then second to the last, was the potion ingredients they got at Apothecary. The whole time Harry asked about getting second hand stuff since they were cheaper and it might make Ron feel better if not all of Harry's stuff was new.

"Sorry, Harry. As fair as that is, we should save the second hand stuff for families who can't afford to get them new," James said.

Of course James wasn't talking about just the Weasleys. James was referring to muggle born witches and wizards who came from poor families or orphanages as well.

"All is left is Harry's wand, which we can get at Ollivanders," James said, "We can see if Olivander could weight Neville's wand too, just too sure it's still in good condition for Neville while we're at it."

"Sounds good," Augusta agreed.

They headed to the last narrow shabby shop on the block. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.

A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single spindly chair that Augusta sat on to wait. There were thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice, causing Harry and Neville to jump.

An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop."

"Hello, Mr. Ollivanders," James greeted.

"James! James Potter!" the old man said. "Mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfigurations."

"That's my wand," James replied.

"And this…" Ollivander turned to Harry. "Must be your son. I was wondering when I'll be giving him his first wand."

Harry moved awkwardly at the man's stare. Ollivander pushed away Harry's bangs revealing the lightning shape scar. "Sadly to say, I know the wand that did that too. Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful."

Harry flinched at the thought.

Then Olivander noticed Augusta. "Augusta Longbottom, eleven and half inches, oak, rather subtle. How is your son and daughter-in-law."

"One day at a time, Ollivander," Augusta said, "I'm actually here so my grandson can get his father's old wand weighed."

"Ah, I see," Ollivander agreed. "Good idea. People always tend to forget the importance of wand weighing when it comes to wands that are handed down from parent to child or sibling to sibling."

"So true," Augusta agreed.

"Well, why don't we start with the weighing of Mr. Longbottom's wand, since it won't take very long," Ollivander suggested.

Harry didn't argue as Neville gave Ollivander his wand. "Ah yes, ten and three quarters of an inch, Pine, Unicorn hair core. Looks to be in a fine condition."

Ollivander muttered something and flicked the wand. Instantly fireworks came out.

"Yes, fine wand." Ollivander handed it to Neville. "I'm sure your father would appreciate taking good care of his wand."

Neville nodded as he held his father's wand close.

"Now, Mr. Potter. Let me see." Ollivander pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"

"My right hand," said Harry holding it out.

Ollivander chuckled. "He's definitely your son, James."

James nodded with a chuckle.

Ollivander magically enchanted the measuring tape measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, and knee to armpit.

"Uh, dad," Harry said. "Is this normal?"

"Don't worry," James replied. "It's part of the progress."

"That's right, Mr. Potter," Ollivander said from the back. "You see, every wand I made has it's own characteristics. No two wands are the same. After all, the wand chooses the wizard, even if we're not sure why. And each wand has it's own powerful magical substance for a core. Here we use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and heartstrings of dragons. There are others, but I assure you the ones I use to make the wands is the most reliable."'

The magical measuring tape was measuring between Harry's nostrils, which Harry really wonder if it was necessary.

"That will do," Ollivander said returning with boxes. The tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right, then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."

Harry did as he was told, but nothing happened.

Ollivander snatch the wand out of his hand and handed another wand.

"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try—"

Harry tried but again nothing.

"No, no—here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy."

Again nothing. This kept going on for a while was the piled of tried wand mounted. Only Mr. Ollivander seemed to be happy about it.

"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere—I wonder, now—yes, why not—unusual combination—holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

Harry took the wand, and he felt a sudden warmth in his hands. When he gave it a wave, red and gold sparks shot from the end like fireworks.

James whooped, Augusta clapped, and Neville patted Harry on the back.

Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well… how curious… how very curious."

"What is?" Harry asked as Mr. Ollivander put his wand back in it's box and wrapped it in brown paper."

Mr. Ollivander fixated on Harry.

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather—just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother—why, it's brother gave you that scar."

Harry swallowed hard as James put his hand on Harry's shoulder protectively.

"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember… I think we must expect things from you, Mr. Harry Potter… After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things—terrible, yes, but great."

Now Neville was paled with horror as James cleared his throat. "Well-thanks for the lecture, Mr. Ollivander, but I'm afraid we must be on our way. Right Augusta?"

"Yes, I think you're right," Augusta agreed.

…

Augusta and Neville went home as Harry and James headed back to the Potter Cottage.

"Dad, do you believe what Mr. Ollivander said about me?" Harry asked.

James put down his meal. "Listen Harry, I wouldn't put what Mr. Ollivander said to heart. If you're destined for greatness, it's not because your wand shares the brother core as You-Know-Who."

"I guess," Harry said.

"Look, I'm going to tell you what your grandfather told me. The wand may choose the wizard, but it's the wizard who chooses what he going to be," James said. "Your choices shape your future Harry. No one else can make those choices for you."

Harry nodded. "Thanks dad."

"No problem, buddy." James said. "As for your wand, if you ask me, it could be that it and its brother are like those twins where one sibling turns out to be good while the other turned out to be bad."

"And my wand being the good brother," Harry said. "I think I can live with that."


	6. A Journey to Hogwarts

**A/N:** I'm going to make this clear. I don't own the Harry Potter series or it's characters. That right goes to JK Rowling

* * *

 **A Trip From Platform 9 3/4s to Hogwarts**

Harry been counting down his days until September 1st.

In the previous seven years, Harry counted down when his father go to work and Harry was watch by one of his uncles. But this time was different. This time Harry get to attend Hogwarts as a student.

Harry was so anxious he spend the rest of his summer reading his course books. He even named his owl Hedwig, after a name he found in _A History of Magic._

Harry was staying with the Weasleys in their several story high house in Ron's room, while James was at Hogwarts, preparing for the first semester.

So when Harry woke at five o'clock that morning, he was excited and nervous to go back to sleep. He got up and pulled on his jeans and shirt, making him look like a Muggle. Never a good idea to dress in wizard clothes in a Muggle train station.

By time Molly called Harry and Ron down for breakfast, both boys were up.

Down stairs, they joined the rest of Ron's siblings who were still attending Hogwarts: Percy, who was tall and thin with vivid red hair and freckles, wearing horn rim glasses over his blue eyes and a red and gold badge with the letter P on it indicating he was now prefect. Then twins Fred and George with the family flaming red hair and freckles, but they were shorter than Percy, and yet the same height as Ron and taller than Harry. Finally, there was the youngest and only daughter/sister in the group Ginny Weasley—a year younger than Ron and Harry, who had long flaming red hair, a petite stature and bright brown eyes.

There were two other siblings, Bill and Charlie Weasley, who had already graduated Hogwarts and moved out of the house, but that doesn't stop them from visiting the family when they can.

Ginny was complaining to her mum about not being able to go to Hogwarts.

"Can I please go to Hogwarts?" Ginny asked.

"No, Ginny," Molly argued. "You still have a year left before you can go."

"But Harry got to go before he became a student!" Ginny argued.

"That's because Uncle Padfoot snuck me in to see my dad," Harry responded.

"Which he wasn't allowed," Molly argued. "Now help me make everyone sandwiches."

Harry couldn't blame Ginny for wanting to go to Hogwarts. Even when Sirius snuck Harry in to the school, it seemed not be enough. Harry wanted to be an actual student and learn from the school.

Molly manage to cook six sandwiches before they had to take off. They called in several taxis.

They drove to London to a Kingcross train station where they lugged their trunks full of school supplies along with Percy's new owl Hermes and Harry's owl Hedwig onto carts before heading off.

"Of course the place is packed with muggles," Molly said as she led them through the train station as they reached a dividing barrier between platforms nine and ten. "All right, "Percy, you go first."

Percy marched toward the dividing wall with his cart and raced toward it. A crowd of tourist swarmed in front of him and when they clear way, Percy was gone.

"Fred, you next," Molly said.

"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said Fred—using one of his pranks on his mum. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you _tell_ I'm George?"

"Sorry George, dear."

"Only joking, I am Fred," said Fred before he run off. Soon enough Fred was gone and soon followed by George.

"Okay, Harry, Ron, go on," Molly said.

Harry and Ron nodded and started rushing forward with their carts. Both boys fazed through the barrier and entered a hidden magical platform packed with wizards and witches. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock.

Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.

The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Harry stayed with the Weasleys though.

One boy with dreadlocks that Harry recognize as one of the twins' friends was surrounded by a small crowd.

"Give us a look, Lee, go on."

The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long hairy leg.

"Harry! Ron!" Neville came toward them. He must have already loaded his stuff because he wasn't carrying a cart.

"Hey Neville, you and your grandmother made it okay?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Neville responded. "Hey, I found us a carriage for the three of us."

"Thanks, Neville," Ron said.

"Hold on Ron," Molly took out a handkerchief and started wiping Ron's nose. "You've got something on your nose."

" _Mum_ —geroff," he wriggled free.

"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" George asked.

"Shut up," said Ron.

"Where's Percy?" Molly asked.

Harry noticed for the first time that Percy wasn't among them.

"He's coming," Fred said.

At that moment, Percy came striding into sight, already wearing his new black robes—new robes as a reward for him making prefect.

"Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves—"

"Oh, are you a _prefect_ , Percy?" Fred asked with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."

"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said George, "Once—"

"Or twice—"

"A minute—"

"All summer—"

"Oh shut up," Percy the Prefect.

"How come Percy gets new robes anyway?" asked George.

"Because he's a prefect," said their mother fondly. Which isn't really something new. Harry knew for the fact that both Charlie and Bill Weasley were prefects, and Bill was even made Headboy while Charlie was Quiditch captain.

"All right, dear, well, have a good term—send me an owl when you get there."

She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins.

"Now, you two—this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've—you've blown up a toilet or—"

"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."

"Great idea though, thanks, Mum."

"It's _not funny_."

"Come on guys," Neville said. "Before the compartment is filled."

"We're going mum," Ron said.

"What—Okay. Be careful you three," Molly said giving Ron and Harry each a kiss on the cheek before scolding the twins.

Neville did pull it off as his grandmother was waiting at an empty compartment.

Augusta helped Ron and Harry load their trunks and Hedwig in her cage before they headed in.

However, as soon as they were loaded, Neville was already frantic.

"Where is he?" Neville asked.

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Trevor, my toad," Neville said. "He was here the last time I saw him."

"Maybe he got out of the train," Ron said.

The train whistle blown and the train started moving which caused Neville to start weeping.

"Maybe he didn't leave the train," Harry suggested, "Maybe ask around see if anyone have seen him."

Neville nodded and left the compartment.

As soon as Neville left, the compartment door opened and Fred and George poked their heads through.

"Hey, Ron," Fred said.

"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train—Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there," said George.

"Right," mumbled Ron.

"Check on you two later." The twins left.

The train carried them out of London and Neville still haven't returned.

Around half past twelve, there was a great clattering outside the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"

Ron and Harry looked at each other. Although Mrs. Weasley packed them sandwiches for lunch, this might be their best time to order something.

Harry took out his coins, "We'll three of everything."

After paying the witch, and carried the treats to an empty seat.

"I wonder what wizarding card I'll get this time," Harry opened a chocolate frog. It was basically chocolate in the shape of a frog. Harry ate it before checking the card that came with it. On the card was Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore," Harry said. "What about you, Ron?"

"Morgana," Ron grumbled.

As soon as they were done with the chocolate frogs, they went for the Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, which basically mean what the name said as the two boys had a contest of who can get the most good beans.

They were about done with one box to decide the winner when the compartment door slid open. Neville was back, but he wasn't alone as he had a girl with him—who was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes."

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said in a bossy voice. She had lots of bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth.

"Still can't find Trevor?" Harry asked.

Neville shook his head.

"You know him?" the girl asked.

"Well, yeah, we did practically grew up together," Ron said.

"I got so busy searching for Trevor I forgot where we were staying," Neville mumbled.

The girl didn't seem to hear Neville. "I'm Hermione Granger, by the way. I'm the first one in my family to be able to use magic. All my family are muggles. It was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard—I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, and I've even tried a few simple spells just for practice, and it all worked for me. By the way, who are you?"

She spoke so fast Harry and Ron were stunned.

"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.

"Harry Potter," Harry said.

"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you—"

"I highly doubt that," Harry said.

"Of course, I do. I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in _Modern Magical History_ and _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_ and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century._ "

"Let me ask you Hermione, did any of those books mention my mom died protecting me?" Harry asked.

"Well—a little—"

"Or how my godfather/uncle was almost framed for working for the Dark Lord because no one knew my dad and mum changed secret keepers for a charm that was suppose to protect them."

"Well, no—"

"How about the fact my dad and I spend months away from home after that night before my dad got the courage to return?"

Hermione practically was speechless.

"My dad never interviewed for those books, and I was too young to understand most of what was happening to me and the only one who knew what really happen that night is dead or vanquished," Harry said, "Because of it those books are filled with some third source story full of nothing but theories."

For the first time since she came into the compartment, Hermione Granger was speechless. It was ten second before she said something and it was: "Sorry about your mum." Before she left.

"I think you might have gone overboard, mate," Ron said.

"I think it's more of the fact she's just not use to find out what she read in some book isn't the full story she thought it was," Harry said. "But since she did help Neville try to find his toad, I'll apologize to her when we get off."

Neville nodded before realizing he still haven't found his toad. "My Grams is going to kill me."

"Well, since you're a dead man, I guess you don't want your chocolate frog," Ron said reaching for the remaining chocolate frogs.

Neville quickly snatch them and joined his friends.

…

By sunset the three boys removed their jackets and slipped on their robes as the train started slowing down. Ron's robes were a bit short for him as Neville and Harry could see his sneakers underneath them.

A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

Harry Ron and Neville started cramming their pockets full of sweets before joining the crowd thronging the corridor.

The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Harry shivered in the cold night. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of students and Harry heard a familiar voice: "First years! First years over here!"

Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads. Ron Harry and Neville instantly headed that direction.

"C'mon, follow me—anymore first years? Mind your step, now! First years follow me!"

They followed Hagrid through what seemed to be a slippery narrowed path. Everyone kept slipping and stumbling as either side of the path was dark.

"You'll get your first sight of Hogwarts in a second," Hagrid called over his shoulder. "just round this bend here."

Everyone let out a loud, "Oooooh!"

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, with its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a huge castle with many turrents and towers.

Harry had seen Hogwarts before, but it still amazes him every time he sees it. Mostly because even though he knows stuff about the school most First Years don't, there were still mysteries of the castle Harry have yet discovered.

"No more than four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry Ron and Neville got into their boat, along with Hermione, for some reason.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself (being half giant does have its upsides). "Right then—FORWARD!"

The fleet of little boats started moving on their own at once. Each boat glided across the smooth glass like lake as everyone stayed quiet—staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as they reached the cliff. Everyone bent their heads down as their boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached an underground harbor where their boats docked so everyone could get out.

"Oy, Neville! Isn't that your toad?" asked Hagrid as he checked the boats.

"Trevor!" Neville cried as he held out his hands. Hagrid chuckled and handed Neville his toad.

Once everyone was out of the boats, and Hagrid was done checking them, the group of first years and their escort clambered up a passageway in the rock that lead out into smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.

They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around huge oak front doors.

"Everyone here? Neville, do you still have your toad? Yes? Good!"

Then Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle doors.


	7. The Sorting Ceremony

**A/N:** I'm going to make this clear. I don't own the Harry Potter series or it's characters. That right goes to JK Rowling

* * *

The Sorting Ceremony

In the Great Hall, James was waiting impatiently for his son and the rest of the first years to come through. He didn't want to leave Harry behind, but James wanted his son to have his own experience on the Hogwarts express without his dad their to embarrassed him.

At least James will get to see his son get sorted. That's something only professors who has children or grandchildren attending Hogwarts can experience. Still, James couldn't help but worry about how his son is doing.

James decided to pass the time to congratulate Professor Quirrell for being the first Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor to teach a second time.

Quirrell was this young pale man wearing a turban as he was nervous and twitchy.

"Hey Quirrell, congrats for being the first professor to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts the second time," James patted the young man who jumped in shock. "I must say, I didn't think your idea of taking a yearlong break would overcome the curse, but I'm glad I was proven wrong."

"T-T-Thank you, Pr-Pr-Professor Potter," Quirrell.

Professor Snape who was at the teachers table after starting to work at Hogwarts three years before James, grunted. "Of course you would congratulate Quirrell for being lucky, Potter."

"You're just upset because you been turn down the position again, Snivelus," James said. "I would have thought by now you learned you can't always have your way."

Snape didn't respond.

...Outside…

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald green robes wearing square glasses who had her hair drawn into a tight bun stood there. She had a very stern face, but Harry knew it hide a caring lady who just takes her job seriously.

"The first years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big, Harry bet he could fit his home and the Dursley's home in it and still have room. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase in front led to the upper floors.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Harry could hear the drones of hundreds of spirits that haunts the castle. Through his many visits here, Harry has met and got along with almost every ghost in the school. Except for one that was in one of the girls bathrooms. Even Harry knew better than to go there.

Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-the-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room."

"The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any rule-breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours."

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's somehow still smudged nose. Harry stood proudly, waiting patiently to be sorted.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

She left the chamber, leaving most of the students nervous. Wondering what the sorting ceremony was like. Hermione even started going over every spell she knew.

Harry grinned at Ron and Neville as they knew what it would be like. One of the advantages of visiting his dad in Hogwarts is that Harry knew what the ceremony was—even told Ron Neville and even Ginny.

One other advantage Harry had from the visits was that he knew all of the professors and what they are like. Take McGonagall for example: She may seem strict and mean, and you definitely don't want to cross her, but get on her good side, and McGonagall can be your favorite teacher.

Then several people behind Harry screamed: "What the—?"

Many gasped as about twenty ghosts had started streaming through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance—"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost—I say, Harry, what are you doing here?"

A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed Harry.

"I'm here waiting to be sorted," Harry said.

"Oh, so you're finally joining the school," said the Fat Friar, smiling at the rest of the first years. "I hope to see many of you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know."

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned as the ghost retreated.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind him, and Neville behind Ron. They started walking out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

The Great Hall was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hap was another long table where the teachers were sitting—including James, who had a proud look when he saw Harry, as if this moment was something he been waiting for.

Professor McGonagall led the rest first years up there, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them look like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. The ceiling was dotted with stars, like the night sky outside. Of course Hermione whispered, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in _Hogwarts:_ A History."

Harry tried hard not to shake his head. _First impression is everything,_ Harry remembered his father always told him.

…

James watched his son stand at attention in the line, waiting him to be sorted. He remembered when he was sorted, he was anxious to get into Gryffindor like his father before him. Now it was Harry's turn.

Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of that, she put a pointed old dirty wizard hat.

After a few second of complete silence the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth and sang:

 _"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me.  
You can keep your bowlers black,  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And I can cap them all.  
There's nothing hidden in your head  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be.  
You might be in Gryffindor,  
Where dwell the brave at heart,  
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
Set Gryffindors apart;  
You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
And unafraid of toil;  
Or yet in wise Ravenclaw,  
If you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;  
Or perhaps in Slytherin  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folks use any means  
To achieve their ends.  
So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again. James applauded as he smirked at most of the first years confusion.

…

Harry couldn't help but smile when he heard the other students murmured about having to wear a hat to be sorted.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbot, Hannah!"

A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes and sat down. A moment's pause—

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake Terry's hands as he joined them.

"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw.

"Brown, Lavender" she became the first new Gryffindor and the table on the far left exploded with cheers.

"Bulstrode, Millient" she became a Slytherin. Most of the table look like an unpleasant lot, but there were few who were just cunning but not evil.

"Crabbe, Vincent" one of two boys who seemed like Malfoy's bodyguards was sorted into Slytherin.

Harry tried to pay attention to who might be his roommates, but they started blurring togetehre.

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Harry did notice that for some kids the hat sorted quickly, but other times it took it's time. Harry understand why. Those the hat is taking time with are the ones with qualities that fits in more than one house, while those sorted quickly must share only one quality that belongs to one house.

"Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him Gryffindor.

Then some names after another one of Malfoy's bodyguards: Gregory Goyle…

"Granger, Hermione!"

Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed that hat eagerly on her head.

Harry thought for sure that since Hermione was a book work, she would be sorted into Ravenclaw house, but his surprise, the hat shouted: "GRYFFINDOR!"

 _Well, Gryffindors do have some bookworms in the house,_ Harry thought to himself.

"Longbottom, Neville!" Professor McGonagall called out some time after Hermione.

Neville came forward, almost falling over on his way, before sitting in the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFINDOR," Neville ran off, still wearing the hat, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to.

Some kid name Morag MacDougal, Malfoy was called forward. The hat barely touched his head when it screamed "SLYTHERIN!"

Malfoy joined two big kids who seemed to be his goons in the Slytherin Table.

After Moon, Nott, Parkinson, two twin girls name Pati, and Sally-Anne Perks, McGonagall hollered, "Potter, Harry!"

As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like hissing fires from most of first years, as this was their first time seeing him.

The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the remaining first years staring at him. Then he was looking at the black inside of the hat as he waited.

"Hmmm," said a small voice in his head. "A difficult one here. I see a bit of wisdom, and plenty of loyalty, yes. But there's also cunningness… yes, that's for sure. And yet very courageous and plenty of love. Difficult."

 _I won't mind being in Gryffindor,_ Harry thought.

"Gryffindor, huh? Oh, I see. You want to make your daddy and uncles proud. Not to mention live up to your mother's memory. Well, since that's what you want, better be—GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took off the hat and rushed toward Gryffindor table to shake hands with Percy Weasley and joined Neville.

…

James couldn't hide his sigh of relief when he heard that hat yelled "GRYFFINDOR!"

He was slightly worried when the hat took so long to sort Harry. He thought Gryffindor would have been the obvious choice for Harry, but as the hat took its time it silently reminded James that Harry had qualities for the other three houses too: Cunning, loyalty, and yes—a bit of wisdom from his mother.

"It looks like you have to kiss the quidditch cup goodbye Snivels," James said.

"What are you talking about?" Snape demanded.

"Oh come on, surely you are aware of how ever team captain had their eyes on my son," James said, "If I remember correctly, even the Slytherin's team captain had interest."

Snape sneered. "Maybe so, Potter, but may I remind you that First Years can't join any Quidditch teams."

"Actually, the rules stated a first year can't have his broom. But as soon as you'll find out, that rule won't matter for Harry or any first year wanting to join their house team," James stated.

Snape narrowed his eyes, "What are you talking about?"

"Weasley, Ron!"

"You'll find out soon," James said as he turned back to the sorting ceremony.

Ron was pale green by now as he approached the stool. James sat forward as the hat was placed on the young Weasley's head.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry Neville and the rest of the Weasleys clapped the loudest as Ron joined them in Gryffindor table.

Last was Blaise Zabini, who was sorted into Slytherin house. Then Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the sorting hat away.

…

As Harry watched McGonagall leave, someone patted Harry on the shoulder. Harry turned to see a burly fifth-year boy who Harry recognize as the current Captain of Gryffindor's Quidditch Team: Oliver Wood.

"After your first flying lessons, come and see me about your first Seeker practice," Wood said before heading back to his seat before Harry could argue.

Harry turned to the table the professors sat and saw his dad winking at him like he was aware of what Oliver just said.

At the center of the table sat Albus Dumbledore. He also recognizes Severus Snape giving Harry the usual cold stare. Harry knew about his dad's and the Potion's master's history and his connection to Harry's mother.

At that moment Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

He sat down and everyone clapped and cheered. At that moment the plates magically filled themselves with piles of food: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and peppermint humbugs.

Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything and began to eat.

"That does look good," said the ghost in a ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak. "It's been almost five hundred years since I last eat, and although I don't need to eat it, I do miss it."

Most of the First Year Gryffindors stared at the ghost.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I don't think I introduce myself." Said the ghost. "Sir Nicholas de Mismy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Towers."

"He's also known as Nearly Headless Nick," Harry said.

"I would _prefer_ being called Sir Nicholas de Mismy—" the ghost began stiffly before the sandy haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted.

" _Nearly_ Headless? How can you be _nearly_ headless?"

Sir Nicholas gave Harry a slight loathing stare for ruining this conversation. Harry just shrugged it off as he continued eating.

Like this," said Sir Nicholas irritably. He seized his left ear and pull. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Somebody had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So—new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the House Championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the Cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable—he's the Slytherin ghost."

Harry glanced at the Slytherin table and was almost happy to see Malfoy sitting next to a horrible ghost with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood.

"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest."

"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.

"I doubt he would share with you if you did," Harry said, "I asked him once, and all he told me was that it wasn't his blood."

Hermione frowned. "You been to Hogwarts before?"

Harry nodded. "My uncle use to sneak me into the castle to visit my dad while he works here. In fact that's him next to Quirrell."

Harry pointed to James who was devouring a piece of pork chop.

"That's your dad?" Hermione asked. "What does he teach?"

"Astronomy," Harry replied. "Because of my visits, I know many of the secrets of Hogwarts—not all of them though. I can even tell you who among Slytherin Table might grow up to be dark wizards, and who are just cunning enough to be in that house but not evil enough to become dark wizards."

"There's a difference?" Dean Thomas asked.

Harry nodded. "Not all students from Slytherin House gone to the Dark side. My uncle—the one that use to sneak me in—he has a cousin who was sorted into Slytherin House, but had nothing to do with the dark side. My dad even mention a Potions master he had as a kid who was also head of Slytherin House, and yet favored my mum who was a muggle-born witch."

When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before, before filling itself with deserts: blocks of ice cream in every flavor, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding…

As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, Hermione asked Ron and Neville, "How do you two know Harry?"

Ron shrugged. "I had two uncles that worked with Harry's dad. After my uncles died and what happened to Harry's mum, my parents and his dad stayed in contact with each other, arranging for Harry and me to play with each other."

"Just about the same for me," Neville said. "My parents worked with Harry's parents. So when my gran took me in, she stayed in contact with Harry's dad so Harry and I could meet and play with each other."

Harry, who started to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. His father, James was talking to a short wizard known as Professor Flick—who was also head of Ravenclaw House. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Snape was talking to a professor who was wearing an absurd turban.

Suddenly, just as Snape looked past the other professor straight into Harry's eyes, a sharp hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead.

"Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Percy asked.

"Yeah. I-it's nothing," Harry lied.

The pain had gone as quickly as it come.

Back at the head table James was staring at Harry concernly as if he saw Harry clapped his hand to his head.

Harry decided to act casual and tell his dad about it tomorrow.

At last, the deserts had disappeared too, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.

"Ahem—just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of Fred and George.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind youall that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch. Any first years also interested can sign up, but must use school broom, which—thanks to Professor James Potter, here, is now stocked with fresh new Nimbus 2000s, if you first years think you can handle it."

Harry's jaw dropped. He had no clue that his dad had set up something like this for the school. Now that he think about it, it was obvious. James always sneaking off when they're at Diagon Alley. But still, Harry didn't think it was something like this.

…Head Table…

James chuckled at Harry's shock expression, while also taking notice to Snape's glare.

"You planned this didn't you," Snape responded, "You wanted your son to join Gryffindor's team."

"Oh, come now, Snivelus. How could I have planned for my son to be play for Gryffindor House?" James asked. "Especially Sirius and I combined our funds to make sure there's enough brooms for all the house teams to use—including your own."

That just made Snape glare at James more as Dumbledore finished his announcements.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Every student in the Hall was rather confused by the announcement as they started whispering. Harry was staring at his father for answers, which James hide any hint of.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore.

With a flick of his wand, a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"

And the school bellowed:

 _"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty, Hogwarts,  
Teach us something please,  
Whether we be old and bald  
Or young with scabby knees,  
Our heads could do with filling  
With some interesting stuff,  
For now they're bare and full of air,  
Dead flies and bits of fluff,  
So teach us things worth knowing,  
Bring back what we've forgot,  
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,  
And learn until our brains all rot."_

Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, James only heard the Weasley twins singing with a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.

"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

James watched his son joined his classmates before heading to a room he had in the teacher's living quarters.

…

Harry Ron Neville, along with seven other first year Gryffindors, followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase.

Harry knew the way to Gryffindor tower (James and Sirius made sure of that every time he visit in case he was in Gryffindor House), but traditions states that first years follow their house prefects.

Harry's legs were like lead from being tired and full of food. It was a good thing he did knew his way, because he was too tired to even pay attention where he was going, or to the whispering voices of the moving portraits. At the most, Harry just wish they were already at Gryffindor tower so he can get some sleep.

Suddenly, they went into a hault and Harry ran into Neville.

Ahead of them was a bundle of walking sticks floating in midair. When Percy tried to get closer, they started throwing themselves at him.

"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist."

Harry knew about Peeves. Every time Harry visited his dad, Peeves always seem to catch on and pull some pranks on him.

"Peeves—" Percy raised his voice, "show yourself."

A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon answered.

"Do you want me to get the Bloody Baron?"

There was a pop, and a little man with wicked dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks. And of course he took notice of Harry.

"Oooh, Harry Potty with Ickle Firsties! What fun!" Peeves joked.

"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.

Peeves stuck out his tongue, floated above Harry's head and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Harry's head. He heard the poltergeist zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.

"I hate that poltergeist," Harry muttered.

"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."

At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.

"Password?" she asked.

"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They had to scrambled through it—Ron and Harry helping Neville out—and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.

Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory, and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase that led up to a tower, they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk too much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed.

Harry quickly fell asleep without hearing his friends saying something about food. However he had the strangest dream.

He was wearing a turban over his head, and it kept talking to him, telling him he must transfer to Slytherin at once, because it was his destiny. But Harry turned it down, saying he belonged to Gryffindor.

When he did, the turban got heavier and heavier. Harry tried to pull it off but it tightened painfully—then there was a burst of green light and Harry woke sweating and shaking.

He rolled over—deciding to talk to his dad about it in the morning—and fell asleep again. But when he woke the next morning, he didn't remember anything about the dream.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry about not including what James was doing in the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one


	8. Harry's First Week

**A/N:** I'm going to make this clear. I don't own the Harry Potter series or it's characters. That right goes to JK Rowling

* * *

 **Harry's First Week**

Another good thing about Harry's visits to Hogwarts in the past, is that the only whispering he has to hear is those from the First years. Everyone from second year to seventh year already knows Harry and have gotten over the 'get to see the famous Harry Potter' phase. Which is a good thing, because Harry had to lead his two best buddies to class since they didn't have the special visiting privileges as he had.

Harry's not surprise most first years get lost trying to get to their classes on the first week. There were a hundred and forty-two stairs at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. The portraits kept going to visit each other, and once in a while the coat of armor would walk to find a better place to stand.

The ghost can help students find their way—if you know who to ask. But first most students would have to get over the shock of whenever a ghost glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open.

Nearly Headless Nick is one of few ghost who are willing to give directions. But then you have those like Bloody Baron who either only help Pure-bloods or his own house directions. Then you have Peeves the Poltergeist who would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, "GOT YOUR CONK!"

Then there was the caretaker Argus Filch. Harry been on Filch's bad side since his first visit at Hogwarts when Filch thought Harry had somehow broken into Hogwarts illegally (although though there were times Harry did, but he wasn't going to tell Filch that). Harry learned long time ago that Filch is rather grumpy toward most wizards. The reason was that he was a squib—a muggle born from a magical family, and grew resentful because of it. Harry doubt it helped that Filch has also got on every student's bad side as well.

If Filch wasn't enough, there was his cat Mrs. Norris, a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamp-like eyes just like Filch's. She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she whisk off or Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later. Filch knew almost every secret passage way in the school better than almost any student and/or faculty (except the Weasley twins and Harry's dad) and could pop up as suddenly as any of the ghosts.

Fortunately enough, Harry Neville and Ron only had to worry about Filch as they made it to their classes with ease. But that didn't mean the classes were easy. Especially when Harry is the son of a professor.

On his first class with his dad was midnight on Wednesday. James started the class with roll call, mostly to embarrassed his son when he comes to Harry's name by saying "Harry James Potter." Most professors don't use the student's middle name during roll call, but James just couldn't help it.

On the first day, Harry's dad became everyone's favorite professor. Even though Astronomy is supposed to be about naming different stars and the movements of the planets while looking at them through their telescope, James also entertained the group by telling tales behind those stars and planets based off what they were named after.

"I find it easier to help my students learn astronomy through the tales behind the names," James stated. "For example, most of the planets and Pluto was named after a Roman olympian, except for Saturn and Uranus—where as Saturn is named after the Titan of time and Uranus was named after the ancient god of the sky Ouranos whom Saturn was said to kill with his own scythe with the help of four of his brothers."

Three times a week Harry and his friends went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology with Hufflepuff House, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout—head of Hufflepuff house—where they learned how to take care of magical plans and fungi, as well as learn what they're used for.

Easily the most boring class was History of Magic. Harry could understand why Dumbledore wanted Uncle Padfoot to teach it, as the class in the only one taught by a ghost. Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he fallen asleep in front of the staffroom fire and got up the next morning to teach, leaving his body behind. You would think being taught by a ghost would be interesting, but it was quite the opposite. All Binns does is drone on and on about certain events, like there was nothing special about them, and often students got names and dates mixed up. Fortunately, Gryffindors had the class with Ravenclaw House, and Ravenclaws are happy to help those willing to learn—at least most of the time they are.

Charms was interesting with Professor Flitwick, the charms teacher and head of Ravenclaw house, although the professor had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. Just like James, Flitwich took roll call, and when he got to Harry's name, Flitwick gave Harry a proper friendly greeting, as if greeting an old friend.

Professor McGonagall as what Harry already knew: strict clever, and friendly if you're on her good side. Of course, that was expected from a professor that teaches one of the most dangerous classes in Hogwarts along with Potions and Care of Magical Creatures that is taught to third years and up (Although it's not so much dangerous as long as you listen to your professor). She even gave them a talking-to the moment they sat down in her first class about it.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."

Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. Everyone was impressed and couldn't wait to get started. Sadly McGonagall only did that for show as they wouldn't be changing furniture into animals for a long time. After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were given a match and started trying to turn into a needle.

Harry wasn't as gifted in the arts of transfiguration as his dad or uncle Padfoot, but by the end of the class, he manage to at least turn his match from being made out of wood to being made out of silver. However, Hermione Granger did better than that as her was all silver and pointy. Professor McGonagall was so impressed she gave Hermione a rare smile.

When Harry told his dad about it that night, James just shrugged. "At least you made your match into a metal one. That's more than what most can do on their first day."

"Yeah, but Hermione made more progress than I did," Harry complained.

James laughed. "Well, some students are just gifted that way. I can't count how many times your mother mastered a spell before your uncles and I did."

Harry made a fake shock face as if he just heard this for the first time (which it wasn't). "Mum was better than magic than you?"

James cleared his throat. "Well, I wouldn't say that exactly, but she was the top student of our year."

Harry rolled his eyes.

In the end, the class he was looking forward too was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry heard about Professor Quirrell's lessons before his year off being great. Sadly, it seems that Quirrell lost his touch. His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but they weren't sure they believed this story. Forone thing, when Seamus Finnigan asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather; for another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban. Fred and George Weasley both insisted it was stuffed with garlic as well, so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went.

In the end, Harry looked forward to the weekends most of all, when he can visit his dad without worrying about interference from classes, and maybe a visit from his uncles.

After the first day, Harry had send a letter to both Sirius and Remus with Hedwig, letting them know he has successfully been sorted into Gryffindor house along with Neville and Ron, and to thank Sirius for helping his dad pay for the new 'stable' school brooms.

Friday came and Harry Ron and Neville made it to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"What have we got today?" Neville asked.

"Double Potions with Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them."

"At least Snape doesn't have a reason to hate you two anymore than he hates other students," Harry said. "Snape hates my dad, and I'm sure he'll take that hate out on me one way or another."

"Bad luck for you, mate," Ron said.

Just then, the mail arrived. Owls came swooping into the Great Hall, carrying mails and packages from home as they circled around, searching for their owners. Harry often got sweets from Ron's mom and/or Andromeda.

Today Hedwig fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped two notes on Harry's plate: one from Sirius (with the side note from Remus too), and the other from Hagrid.

Harry opened the one from Sirius first:

 _Harry,  
Congratulations on being sorted into Gryffindor House. Remus and I are proud that you Neville and Ron will be able to live on the Maurders life (even if it's not like the life we lived it).  
By the way, you're welcome on helping your dad pay for the brooms. Moony would of helped, too, but he was in-between jobs at the time. We just wish we saw Snivelus's face when he realized the donation was for the whole school and not just Gryffindor House. According to your Dad, he was fuming. I have to admit, that was the best prank he came up with, helping all the Houses including Slytherin behind old Snape's back.  
Speaking Snape, Remus wanted me to remind you to behave around him. Your dad maybe safe from Snape's wrath with the two being co-workers, but you're still an easy target. Don't think being your mother's son will save you from it, but don't give Snape any benefit of doubt either. As much as I like to hear how you know Snape down a notch, Remus has a point as Snape can still make your life at Hogwarts miserable.  
Sincerely,  
Uncle Padfoot  
P.S. Don't tell your dad this, but expect a surprise at his room this Saturday._

Harry snorted. Leave it to his uncle to find away into Hogwarts.

Harry opened the second letter from Hagrid next:

 _Dear Harry,  
I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three? I want to hear all about your first week. Neville and Ron are welcomed too if they want to come. Send us an answer back with Hedwig.  
Hagrid_

Harry took out his quill and scribbled: _Yes, please, see you later_ on the back of Hagrid's note and sent Hedwig off again.

…

In his living quarters, James was sound asleep on his bed. That was the beauty of teaching Astronomy: since it was taught at midnight, James could sleep in until noon if he wanted, and not have to worry about Harry waking him.

However it wasn't a peaceful sleep.

The day after the feast Harry came to visit him after his classes and brought up about his scar hurting.

At first, James wanted to take Harry to the school healer: Madam Pomprey to get it check, but Harry reassured him that the scar only hurt for a second.

What concern James was what his son was seeing when it happened. Harry told him he saw Snape and Quirrell talking when his scar hurt.

At first James' mind went to the possibility that maybe Snape was back to his old ways, and used some kind of magic or something to trigger Harry's scar. But why would Snape start now when he had seven years to pull something.

Then there was Quirrell—who been absent for a year. Sure Quirrell was jumpy, and his explanation of the reason why made since. But James remembered back during his time in the Order of the Phoenix, meeting Death Eaters who acted like they were afraid of Voldemort (like how Quirrell is behaving now), and the only reason they joined was to stay alive, but then when someone let their guard down to help the Death Eater out, they get stunned or worse from behind.

No, James can't let his guard down on either Quirrell either. Not until he knows for sure what is the cause of Harry's scar causing his son's pain.

The problem was, that kind of news, and James' mind wondering on the ideas that something might be going on, has triggered old memories.

During the first year after Lily's death, James would have Post Traumatic dreams of him dying with his wife by Voldemort's hands, or that Peter being the one who killed Harry. James would wake up in the middle of the night sweating and shivering from the dreams.

Now, it wasn't so bad, but every so often James still wakes up from his dream in that condition.

At least Harry had it better. During the first two years after the event, Harry too woke up screaming from the nightmares, but unlike James, due to Harry's age when his mother died, Harry's mind was able to repress the memory to the far reaches of his subconscious. But even James knew all it would take is a visit by a creature like the Dementor to bring those memories back out.

No matter how young Harry was when the event happened, Dementors have a tendency to bring out the earliest saddest memories you would think even a wizard wouldn't remember out in a flashback. If it wasn't for the fact that Harry didn't have a wand until after he got his letter, James would have taught his son how to use the Patronus Charm a long time ago.

For now all James could do is sleep and hope that Snape don't try anything foolish.

…

It's official. Snape despises Harry. Nothing Harry could have done would have changed it, and Harry tried everything. He even answered all of Snape's surprise teacher-to-student quiz correctly about the sleeping drought, where to find a bezoar that can cure most poisons, and the plant use for wolfsbane potion.

But when Neville accidentally melted his cauldron and spilled his potion on himself that end up creating boils instead of curing them, instead of deducting points from Neville as you would expect from Snape, Snape deducted it from Harry for letting it happened, even though Harry was partnered up with Ron, not with Neville at the time.

"Like I wanted Neville to get it wrong," Harry said as he and Ron climbed the steps. "How stupid is that?"

"At least you asked Neville if he wanted to see Hagrid before class," Ron said.

"True," Harry said.

At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door.

When Harry knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, " _Back,_ Fang— _back_."

Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open.

"Hang on," he said. " _Back_ , Fang."

He let them in, struggling to keep hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.

There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.

"Make yourselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears. Harry remember the first time he met Fang when he was younger. He thought the dog was going to attack him, but ended up having a dog style bath.

"Where's Neville?" Hagrid asked.

"He'll be here later," Harry said, "He had an incident in potions."

Harry explained how Neville ill-properly made his potion that led him being covered in boils as Hagrid poured boiled water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate.

"Yeah, Snape has that way with many first years," Hagrid said, "You would think Snape cause more incidents with his intimidation than anything."

"It wouldn't be such a problem if Snape didn't blame me for it just because he hates my dad."

"Professor Snape doesn't hate your dad…"

"Hagrid, you don't need to lie. I know about what my dad did to Professor Snape when they were students," Harry said.

There was a knock on the door, causing Fang to go crazy again.

"That must be Neville," Hagrid said, "Back Fang! Back!"

While Hagrid tried to get Neville in while keeping Fang back, Harry picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cozy. It was a cutting from a wizarding paper his dad sometimes read: the _Daily Prophet:_

 **GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST**

Investigations continued into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown.  
Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.  
But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.  
However, we been told that the auror investigating the case: Sirius Black, has been working over time trying to find clues on the mystery culprit.  
"Right now, I got from a reliable source that I wouldn't share that what was in the vault is in safe hands," Sirius said, "But none of our minds will be at ease until we're certain that whoever tried to break in isn't a Death Eater that has escaped captured."

Harry was rather surprise to read this. He didn't even know there was a break-in at Gringotts, much less it happening on his birthday—the same day Hagrid grabbed that grubby package.

Harry wondered if Sirius' mysterious source was his dad, and if so, if his dad knew something about it.

After tea and avoid eating rock cakes hard enough to break teeth, Harry Ron and Neville—who indeed was the one coming through the door, headed back to the castle.

Harry told Neville what he read.

"You really think it involves whatever Hagrid took out?" Neville asked.

"I'm not sure, but if Uncle Padfoot's mysterious source is my dad, then it must be in a safe place," Harry said. "Maybe in the castle."

"Why would it be in the castle?" Neville asked.

"Because Hogwarts is the safest place in the world," Harry said, "I wouldn't be surprise it's in a hidden corridor or something I never been too."


	9. Malfoy's Plan Fails

**A/N:** I'm going to make this clear. I don't own the Harry Potter series or it's characters. That right goes to JK Rowling

* * *

 **Malfoy's Plan Fails**

Saturday came around and Harry visited his dad in his living quarters. It's not normally recommended, but every once in a while when a child or grandchild of a professor attends Hogwarts, they can visit their parent outside of class as long as they get back to their dorms before curfew.

"So, what brings you here, Harry?" James asked. "Your scar hurting again?"

"No! Can't I visit my dad?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," James said.

Just then green flames shot up from James' fire place as Sirius stumbled out.

"Sorry about being late," Sirius said. "Fudge is having me work overtime to resolve the—uh, you know what, forget it."

"Uncle Padfoot!" Harry hugged Sirius.

"Hey Harry," Sirius greeted.

"Sirius, what brings you here?" James asked.

"What? Can't I visit my godson/nephew?" Sirius asked.

"If you had permission, which the last I checked, I haven't arrange one," James said.

"Oh come on, Prongs. When we were Harry's age, we broke rules all the time," Sirius said. "Besides, it's not like they're going to fire you, and as far as Fudge knows, I'm checking up on my anonymous source."

"Uh, you know what… it's getting late, I better head to Gryffindor Tower," Harry said. As curious as he was what the two of them were talking about, Harry knew better than to stick around his dad's and uncle Padfoot's argument.

"Okay, see you next week," Sirius said.

"Hey wait a second!" James responded as Harry left the living space.

Harry headed to Gryffindor tower on his own. However when he turned the corner, Harry accidentally ran into his least favorite professor.

"Potter!" Snape sneered. "What are you doing out in this hour?"

Harry bit back the need to say incoherent words.

"What is that?" Snape asked.

"Nothing, sir. I was just heading back to Gryffindor tower," Harry said.

"That still doesn't answer my question."

"If you must know, I was visiting my dad," Harry said. "There are no rules against that, is there?"

Snape glared at Harry. "Two points off Gryffindor for cheekiness, Potter. I suggest you go back to your tower before I take more points off you."

Harry didn't argued as he left.

…

After Harry's visit, things went back to normal. At least, as normal it can get for Harry with a school rival and a professor that hates your guts. At least Harry only have to deal with both of them at the same time once a week.

There was one thing Harry was looking forward was flying lessons. Even though it was unnecessary for Harry to take it, it was still mandatory for first years to at least take part in the first lessons—which is basically learning how to lift yourself off the ground with the broom, basic maneuvers, and landing. After that, if the students feel they can handle learning the more advance forms of flying a broom, they can take further lessons, or if they don't or already know how to fly, they don't have to take any more lessons.

But the reason Harry was really looking forward to it was to earn the points Snape deducted from Gryffindor House. If there was one thing Harry excel at best is flying, and hopefully he can use it to earn his points himself instead of hearing Hermione talk about having to gain back the points _he_ lost.

At least, that was what Harry had hoped until he spotted a notice pinned up in Gryffindor common room that made everyone groaned. Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday—and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.

The only thing that brighten Harry's mood was that the lessons brought up a lot of talking about flying, and not just with Malfoy—who often boast about how he once narrowly escaped muggles in helicopters.

Seamus Finnigan was telling how he spend most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on his broom stick. Ron also had tales to tell about his times flying on Charlie's old broomsticks. Even Harry shared some stories he had of flying

The lessons also brought up a lot of talking about Quidditch—or in Ron's and Dean's case—arguing about the difference between Quidditch and Soccer. Ron couldn't see what was exciting about a game with only one ball where no one was able to fly, but Harry understood Dean's point about soccer.

Often Harry would watch a game of soccer with the Dursleys, after James convinced them that as long as they don't make things to emotional, Harry shouldn't do any accidental magic. Although Harry would admit, the only reason he agreed to watch it was because it was the only few times his uncle Vernon would yell or complain about something else that didn't involve him.

However, the annoying part wasn't Malfoy's boasting, but Hermione's insistence in reading _Quidditch Through the Ages—_ that she got from the school's library, hoping it would give her some ideas on how to fly.

"Should you tell her that _Quidditch Through the Ages_ won't help her learn to fly or should I?" Harry asked.

"Nah, let her discover it herself," Ron said.

"Come on, Ron, even you have to admit this is just pathetic," Harry stated as Hermione read the book out loud to any muggle born or wizard who never flew before who would listen. Which unfortunately included Neville, who was so nervous about flying, he started taking notes to everything Hermione was saying.

Fortunately, no one had to speak up as Hermione's lecture was interrupted by the arrival of mail.

Harry got the usual weekly letter from Sirius and/or Remus and sometimes even Tonks who would write to him if she got bored, and homemade treats from Andromeda and Molly Weasley. But this time Hedwig also dropped something off—a small package with a note attach from Remus.

 _Harry,  
I never been into the sport, but I remember your father having troubles keeping his glasses on and seeing through rain when he joined Gryffindor the House Quidditch team, so I been saving up for this so you won't have to worry about the same problems. Don't worry about rain as they're enchanted to repel rain.  
Sincerely,  
Uncle Moony_

Harry opened the package and saw they were World Quidditch Organization approved Quidditch Goggles—which look like those strap around goggles muggles used. When Harry took off his glasses and tried them on, he found he could see perfectly through them as if he was wearing his own glasses.

Harry quickly took them off and wrote a thank you letter to Remus.

…

At three-thirty that afternoon, Harry, Ron, Neville, and the other Gryffindors hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lessons. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.

Since they were just learning the basics, Harry decided not to wear his goggles, but did keep them just in case.

The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty brand new Nimbus 2000s broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Each broom was sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top. And there were twenty of them—one for each student, and Harry wouldn't be surprise if there were eight more in storage—making a total of twenty-eight—one for each player that can play Quidditch in each house.

"Wow, Harry, your dad really out did himself," Ron said.

"Dad and Uncle Padfoot," Harry said.

Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broom. Come on, hurry up."

Harry stood next to his Nimbus Two Thousand.

"Stick out your right hand over the broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!"

"UP!" everyone shouted.

As expected, Harry's broom jumped right into his hands and Harry caught it with ease. However, he was one of few whose broom did that. Hermione's Granger's had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville's hadn't moved at all.

"Command it like you're the boss, and don't show fear," Harry offered, "A broom is like a horse, it can sense if you're anxious or scared, and it won't respond if you show it."

"UP!"

This time both brooms shot up to Hermione's and Neville's hands.

"Ten points to Mr. Potter," said Madam Hooch, "For aiding a classmate with their brooms."

Of course this caused Malfoy to sneer at Harry. Harry just gain back the points he lost last week and then some.

Hermione looked at Harry amazed and confused.

"Somethings you can't learn from a book," Harry reminded her.

All the other Gryffindors started taking Harry's advice, and eventually some struggling Slytherins gave it a shot, and in no time, everyone had a broom in their hand.

Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. Madam Hooch complimented Harry on getting it right on the first try, and much to Harry's and Ron's delight, told Malfoy off of the act he'd been doing it wrong.

Neville as still shaking with fear and nervous.

"Calm down, Neville," Harry said, "Just watch what I do."

Neville nodded.

"Now, when I blow the whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle—three—two—one—"

She blew her whistle and every student kicked off the ground. Many were wobbly, including Neville, but Harry kept himself balanced and demonstrated how. Neville copied his movements and steadied himself. Then they leaned slightly and landed on the ground safely.

They done this several times until Madam Hooch was satisfied with the results.

"That be it for the day. Anyone else who wants further lessons, see me after class. And any first years interested in playing on their House teams see me after class as well," Madam Hooch said. "Other than that you're dismissed.

Madam Hooch left and Malfoy stormed toward Harry.

"I bet you found that pleasing. Famous Harry Potter, can't even fly a broom without showing off."

"I wasn't showing anyone off," Harry argued. "I was helping my friends. That's what friends do. Which is more than I can say about your bodyguards?"

"I don't need blood traitors for friends," Malfoy said. "And I certainly don't need bodyguards to take you on."

"Is that a challenge?" Harry asked.

"That's right! Tonight. Wizard's duel. Wands only—no contact," Malfoy said. "I'll show you just how much more a significant a pureblood like myself is over a Half-Blood like yourself."

"We'll see about that," Harry said. "Ron's my second, who's yours?"

Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up.

"Crabbe," he said. "Midnight, all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlock."

When Malfoy left, a voice spoke out. "Excuse me."

They looked to see it was Hermione.

"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying—"

"Relax, I'm not dueling Malfoy," Harry said.

Hermione blinked. "You're not?"

"No way. Even I'm not that stupid enough to fall or Malfoy's trap to get me introuble," Harry said.

"How do you know it's a trap?" Ron asked.

"Please. Two first years with only two weeks of lessons going at each other at a duel. Even Malfoy isn't stupid enough that it wouldn't end well for either of us," Harry said. "Now if you excuse me, I got to go talk to Madam Hooch about letting me be Gryffindor's Seeker before my dad preps for his next class."

…

That night Malfoy was wondering out of Slytherin House common Room in the dungeons to hope to find Filch at the third floor corridor. Unfortunately, when he got there, instead of Filch was James Potter.

"What are you doing here?" Malfoy growl.

"That should be my question, Mr. Malfoy," James said.

"I was looking for Filch," Malfoy growled, "I was told he's often found here."

"Well, unfortunately for you, Filch has a night off," James said. "Recommended by the Headmaster after having to chase the Weasley Twins and First Years away from the Third Floor Corridor. So what can I help you with."

Malfoy wanted to yell but then he got a better idea. "Well, if you must know, _Professor_ , your son is about to break the rules."

James rose an eye brow. "Oh?"

"Harry is about to duel a Slytherin in the Trophy room at midnight tonight."

"Is he now? Who may I ask is he dueling?"

Malfoy paled. "What does it matter?"

"Well if I know who he's dueling, I can make sure both are punished," James said.

Malfoy gritted his teeth. "I don't know, I just overhead Potter talking to his Weasley friend about it."

"Huh? Well, I'll take your word for it, and I'll check it out," James said.

"Thank you professor," Malfoy responded reluctantly.

"Oh, and Malfoy, I'll be expecting you for Saturday Night Detention," James said.

"What?" Malfoy responded, "What for?"

"For challenging a fellow student to an unauthorized duel and then lying to a professor about it," James said, "You see, Malfoy—Harry had already come to me and McGonagall about your duel earlier today. So again, see you Satuday night, and be grateful that's all you're getting."

Malfoy's ears turned pink as he stormed off.

…Gryffindors Common Room…

"So you're on the team?" Neville asked.

"Not yet. Madam Hooch is going to give me private practice this Saturday with her too see if I'm suited for the Quidditch Field, then if she approves, I can join," Harry said.

"But you're basically in," Ron said.

Harry nodded. "Just don't go announcing it until it's official."

Neville and Ron nodded.


	10. And Then There Were Four

**A/N:** I'm going to make this clear. I don't own the Harry Potter series or it's characters. That right goes to JK Rowling

* * *

 **Then There Were Four**

Well practice went well, and Madam Hooch approved Harry joining the team (as long as he uses the school's brooms). Harry spend majority of the next night celebrating with his dad (since Malfoy had detention with James that Saturday night) until Harry was tuckered out and James send Harry back to Gryffindor Common Room.

That night Harry passed the doorway into the third floor corridor when he heard a sound of three dogs growling. The strangest part was it sounded like the dogs were the size of a muggle truck.

Harry thought he was just tired and hearing things as he headed off to the common room.

The next few days was rather peaceful, mostly because Hermione and Ron got into some argument the night Harry was with his dad about breaking the rules that somehow led to them not talking to each other, and since Ron is always around Harry and Neville, Hermione didn't talk to them either.

Harry still waited for news on his first actual Gryffindor Practice from Oliver Wood, since Wood promised Harry that he will keep the Seeker's position reserved for him. Especially since the day after Hooch made it official that Harry could join the Gryffindor Team, Fred and George Weasley saw Oliver skipping with joy down toward the Great Hall acting as if all his wishes just came true.

Harry finally got word a week after Flying lessons when Hedwig dropped a note at his plate.

 _Meet me tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session. Bring a Nimbus Two Thousand.  
Oliver Wood_

Under normal circumstances, someone might find it weird that a note said 'bring a Nimbus Two Thousand' like it was a weird message, but over the three weeks, students gotten use to Professor Potter's gift to the school. Fred and George were even caught _borrowing_ the school brooms once in a while for some kind of prank.

…

By 6:30, Harry went to the school's storage next to the Quidditch Field to grab a Nimbus Two Thousand and with his new prescription goggles, headed out to the field.

The Stadium had hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end, like one of those muggle plastic sticks Muggle Children blew bubbles through, except that they were fifty feet wide.

Harry grew up knowing plenty about Quidditch. Hard not too when growing up with a dad and uncle who were into the game and of course the Weasleys.

There were seven players on each team. Three of them are called Chasers, who tosses a big bright red balls called a Quaffle (and the only ball in Quidditch that doesn't move on its own) to each other on broomsticks while trying to get it into one of the three hoops on the other team's side, while also bypassing it from the team's Keeper—who guards the three hoops for their team. If they get it through, their team wins ten points. But it's not easy thing to do, even without the Keeper or the other team's Chasers

Then there were two identical jet black balls that were smaller than the quaffle called Bludgers that zooms around trying to knock the other players off their brooms. That's where the Beaters comes in, two players on each team—one for armed with only a small club who uses it to hit the Bludger to the opposing team.

Finally, there is the Seeker. Their jobs are most important in the game as it's up to them to end the game and hopefully win the game for their team. They're also often the smallest and fastest member of the team (which fits Harry's description) and for a good reason. Their job is to find and catch a small golden ball with silver wings called the snitch that flies so fast even most Seekers have a hard time finding them. The game doesn't end until the Snitch is caught, and the team Seeker who catches it earns their team a hundred and fifty points, which almost always wins the game for them—unless of course the other team has manage to keep a lead of over a hundred fifty points.

The best part about playing Quidditch in Hogwarts though is that all the points gain in each game is added to the House points, no matter if they win or lose a game. So the more points a House team gets, the greater chance they have on winning the House Cup. That's why even with the School's Quidditch Cup at stake, they also play for the points.

At this point, Harry was getting too eager to fly again. He strapped on his goggles mounted his broomstick and kicked off the ground. Harry circled around the field, around the goal post.

Harry had a fun time before he heard Oliver Wood calling out, "Hey, Potter, come down!"

Harry looked down to see Oliver waiting for him.

Harry leaned slightly down and landed safely.

"Very nice," Wood said.

"Thanks," Harry said. "I been flying since I was one—before—you know."

Wood nodded. "Well tonight I'm just going to test your skills as a Seeker. With these—"

Wood took out some golf balls. "Once I got a good feel of your skills today, we will start having regular practices three times a week."

"Sounds good," Harry agreed.

A few minutes later they were in the air. Wood threw the golf balls as hard and fast as he could in every direction. Harry caught every single one. After a few good practices Wood call it for the night.

"Not bad, Potter," Wood said.

"Thank you Wood," Harry replied

…

After that, Harry's schedule been nothing but full between homework and Quidditch. Soon it been two months had passed and Hogwarts felt as much as home as the Potter Cottage. Not to mention his lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics.

However, Harry woke up one morning feeling a sudden dread—as if today was nothing to be excited about. Harry was confused at first until he found out it was October 31, also known as Halloween and the tenth anniversary of his mother's death.

Instead of heading to the Great Hall, Harry headed to his father's living quarters. When it comes to this day, the two of them always need a reminder they both were alive.

…Great Hall…

"Where's Harry?" Hermione couldn't help but ask when she noticed Ron and Neville were at the Gryffindor Table without Harry.

Since Ron wasn't talking to Hermione, Neville answered the question, "He's probably at his dad's living quarters since it's the anniversary."

"Anniversary—oh," Hermione shut up after that. She still remembers what Harry said back in the train about the books she read not covering everything.

Since then she seen Harry having fun, laughing with his friends, talking about flying, that he actually seemed like a normal everyday student. But being reminded the significant and yet personal this day is to Harry just reminded Hermione that she still doesn't know the full story of the famous Harry Potter.

No one saw Harry until Charms Class with Professor Flitwick. He was late to class, but Flitwick didn't deduct any points from Gryffindor House, mostly because Harry had a note from his father (written so that even Snape couldn't cause Harry any problems), but partly because even Flitwick knew what today meant to the Potters.

Flitwick did try to brighten the mood in the room by announcing that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom.

Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Neville partnered up with Harry since he was the closest person to understanding what Harry is going through. Unfortunately, that left Ron to partnering up with Hermione after Seamus and Dean ditch him as partners. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this since they were supposed to be on non-speaking terms.

"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember swish and Flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too—never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."

Once again, Harry found himself nowhere in the league of his parents (although this time it was his mother). But after a few tries, Harry managed to get his feather to float three inches off the desk before it fell back down, which is more than what Neville has achieved sine his feather remained motionless.

At least Ron wasn't having any more luck than Neville at the next table as he waved his arms around like a windmill shouting, _"Wingardium Leviosa."_

Finally Hermione couldn't take it anymore as she snapped. "You're saying it wrong. It's Wing- _gar_ -dium Levi- _o_ -sa, make the 'gar' nice and long.

"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.

Hermione rolled up her sleeves and flicked her wand, saying, _"Wingardium Leviosa!"_

Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads, which was way higher than how high Harry had his hovered.

"Oh, well done!" cried Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"

Ron was in a very bad mood by time the class ended.

"It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry and Neville as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly."

Out from behind Harry, Hermione knocked into him and ran off with tears running down her eyes.

"Ron, she heard you," Neville said.

"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."

…

James day seem to have gotten better when Harry came to visit him this morning. Before that, James was moping over the reminder of what today really was to him. But when Harry came in and looked at him with those green eyes he inherit from Lily, it reminded James of why he was still alive—for their son.

Harry was late to his first lessons, so James wrote him a letter, just incase Snape was in his annual yearly foul mood that he developed this time of year at the reminder of how his trust was crushed and had a run in with Harry.

James came to the great hall for the feast. Dumbledore doesn't make it mandatory for James, but he always attended anyways to be reminded another reason why he's still here—to teach the next generation of wizards and witches.

Unfortunately he arrived to see his son and Ron arguing.

"You need to go apologize to her!" Harry demanded.

"Why should I? She been nothing but pain ever since she came into the compartment on the train!" Ron argued.

"Whoa! What's going on here?" James asked.

"Ron called Hermione a nightmare after she tried to help him in Charms, and she heard him," Neville explained, "Now she's crying in the girl's bathroom, wanting to be alone."

"I told Ron he needs to go apologize," Harry said.

"Why should I? What I said is the truth?" Ron asked. "She didn't help me, she was just bossing me around."

James sighed. "Ron, Harry's right, you need to go apologize to Hermione."

"But—"

"But nothing," James responded. "You're a Gryffindor, and part of being a Gryffindor is to know when they have done something wrong and make it right. That's what sets Gryffindors apart from Slytherin House."

"Fine!" Ron responded.

"Also I'm going to have to deduct a point off Gryffindor House for speaking out of terms about a student behind their backs," James said.

That didn't help Ron's mood even during the feast which is a shame with the decorations in the Great Hall.

A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.

Harry helped himself to a baked potato and started eating when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll—in the dungeons—thought you ought to know."

He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.

There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.

"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

Percy was in his element as he started acting as if he been through this scenario a thousand times.

"Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"

"I bet Peeves let in the Troll as a Halloween joke," Neville said.

"I wouldn't be surprise," Ron agreed.

…

James watched his son leave with the First years, hoping that Harry wasn't stupid enough to face a troll.

He was about to head toward the Dungeons when he noticed Snape going a different direction.

"Going somewhere?" James asked.

"None of your business."

"It is if you're heading to the Third Floor Corridor," James said.

"Why do you care?" Snape snapped.

"Look, Snivelus, I'm just offering my help," James said. "Unlike you, I can distract Fluffy without the need of music incase someone tries to break in."

Snape glared at James. "Fine."

…

Harry Ron and Neville was following Percy as they passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly grabbed Neville's and Ron's arm.

"I've just thought—Hermione."

"What about her?" Ron asked.

"She doesn't know about the troll."

"He's right," Neville said.

Ron bit his lip.

"Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us."

Ducking down, they joined a passing group of Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.

"Hide!" Neville yelped.

They hid behind a large stone griffon.

Peering around it, they saw Snape and James crossing the corridor and disappeared from view.

"Why is your dad with Professor Snape?" Neville asked.

Harry shrugged. "Maybe Dad is using some kind of hidden passage way to get to the Dungeons faster."

"But why is Snape with him?" Ron asked.

"Search me," Harry said, "But I think it's time we act smart."

Harry opened his bag and took out his cloak of invisibility.

"You carry that everywhere?" Ron asked.

"I never know when I need to go invisible," Harry said.

Harry wrapped the cloak around them and they vanished from any muggle and wizard and witch eyes.

They crept along the next corridor. They continued a few more feet before Neville asked. "Do you guys smell something.

Harry sniffed and a foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean.

And then they heard it—a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of giant feet. They quickly scuffed to the side to make sure whatever it is doesn't run into them as a large object was moving toward them and emerged into a patch of moonlight.

It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short thick legs with flat, horny feet. The smell was coming from it, and it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.

The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its mind, then slouched slowly into the room.

"The key's in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in."

"Um, guys," Neville said.

"Good idea," said Ron nervously.

"Guys!"

But Harry and Ron didn't listen as they headed toward the door—leaving Neville in the open as the cloak slipped off him, slammed the door shot and locked it.

 _"Yes!"_ Both cheered.

Just then a high, petrified scream was hear coming out of the door.

"That was the girl's bathroom that Hermione was in," Neville reminded Ron and Harry as they slid off the Cloak of Invisibility, "And you just locked the troll in with her."

With no othere choice they panicked and fumbled trying to unlock the door. Once it was unlocked Harry pulled the door open and they ran inside it.

Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall on the opposite side of them, looking as if she was going to fain. The troll was advancing on her, knocking sinks off the walls as it went.

"Neville, use this to get Hermione out of here!" Harry tossed Neville the cloak of invisibility. "Ron and I will try to distract it."

"Us?" Ron squeaked.

Neville didn't argue as he wrapped the cloak around him, turning invisible.

Meanwhile, the troll had stopped a few feet from Hermione. It had lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise.

"Hey idiot!" Harry waved his hands around. "Over here."

The troll turned to Harry and noticed him for the first time. Then it made for him, lifting its club as it went.

"Oy, pea-brain!" Ron yelled form the other side as he threw the metal pipe at it. The troll didn't seem to noticed the pipe hitting it's shoulder but it heard the yell and turned to Harry.

The troll looked between Ron and Harry, trying to decide who to hit first. Finally it roared, and started toward Ron, as he was the closest.

Then Harry did something that even surprised him. He took a great running jump and managed to fastened his arms around the troll's neck from behind. The troll didn't noticed Harry hanging there until Harry jabbed his wand that he had in his hand when he jumped right into the troll's nostril.

Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club with Harry clinging on for dear life.

Hermione disappeared from her position, which told Harry that Neville got to her.

"Ron! Do something!" Harry yelped.

Ron took out his wand and cried the first spell that came to his head: _"Wingardium Leviosa!"_

With a swish and flick the club flew out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned over and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room trembled.

Harry got to his feet, managing to catch his breath. Ron was standing there with his wand raised, staring at what he done.

Neville and Hermione appeared out of nowhere as Neville removed Harry's cloak.

"Is it—dead?" Hermione asked.

"I don't think so," said Harry, "I think it's just been knocked out."

He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose and wiped off the gray glue troll boogers that was on it on the Troll's trousers.

Suddenly there was a slamming nose followed by loud footsteps that made the four of them to look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, James came bursting through with Professor McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell at the rear.

Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.

Snape bent over the troll. James and McGonagall was looking at Ron Harry and Neville. Professor McGonagall was obviously angry, but Harry didn't dare looking directly at his dad, knowing he was outraged. Harry never done anything this reckless in his whole life.

"What on earth were you thinking of?" Professor McGonagall spoke first, with cold fury in her voice. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"

Ron lowered his wand shaking with fear. Harry swallowed hard.

"Harry James Potter," James said in a tone Harry never heard his father used, "Answer Professor McGonagall's question."

"Don't be angry with them," Hermione jumped in. "It's not their fault. They came looking for me."

"Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall responded.

"I went looking for the troll because I—I thought I could deal with it on my own," Hermione explained, "you know, because I've read about them."

At this point Ron dropped his wand and Neville dropped the cloak of invisibility. Hermione was lying to a teacher.

"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry gave Neville his cloak of invisibility to use to hide me. Then Harry stuck his wand up the troll's nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."

James didn't looked convince, which worried Harry. He then remember that he and Ron basically told James where Hermione was.

"Professor Potter, do you believe them?" Professor McGonagall asked.

James looked straight into Harry's eyes.

"I believe Harry Ron and Neville came here searching for Hermione, and judging from the evidence here," James kicked the troll in the leg, "I guess they did indeed save her."

James didn't say anything else, but it was enough to convince Professor McGonagall.

"Well—in that case…" said Professor McGonagall, staring at the four of them. "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own."

Hermione hung her head.

"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you better get off to Gryffindor Tower. Students are finishing the feast in their Houses."

Hermione left.

Professor McGonagall then turned to Harry Ron and Neville.

"Well, I still say you three are lucky. Not many first years could have taken a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this."

"Meantime," James interrupted, picking up the cloak of invisibility. "I'll be confiscating this for the time being, since I have a feeling it has something to do with you three evading your prefect."

Harry didn't argue. James had warned him about misusing the cloak and technically Harry did just that.

"You three may go," Professor McGonagall said.

The three of them hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.

"We should have gotten more than fifteen points," Ron grumbled.

"Ten," Neville chipped in. "She's taken five off Hermione's."

"Nine actually," Harry said. "If you include the point Dad took off from Ron. We wouldn't have to save her if Ron kept his mouth shut."

Ron turned pink.

They reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Pig Snout!" Harry and Ron said. The three of them entered.

The common room was so packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause from all four before they all said, "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.

When they sat down to eat, Hermione joined them and Ron didn't complained as an unspoken agreement came between them—Hermione was now their friend—the fourth member of the second generation of Maurders.


	11. Harry's First Quidditch Match

**A/N:** I'm going to make this clear. I don't own the Harry Potter series or it's characters. That right goes to JK Rowling

* * *

 **Harry's First Quidditch Match**

As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows defrosting the broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundle up in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaverskin boots.

With the weather change, Harry found himself even more grateful for his prescription magical goggles during Quidditch practice, which a good thing because the Quidditch season had begun and Harry had his first match this Saturday against Slytherin House. If Gryffindor won, they would move up in second place in the House Championship.

Wood had tried to keep Harry a secret weapon, but since every house captain wanted Harry on their team before Harry was sorted into Gryffindor House. Soon word got out that Harry was playing Seeker, and everyone was either looking forward to seeing Harry play, or in the case of Malfoy and his goons seeing Harry fall off his broom.

If it wasn't for Hermione making a study schedule for Harry so he won't get too caught up in last minute Quidditch practices, Harry's grades might have started slipping. In fact, with Hermione's help, Harry was able to move up to second best in both Transfiguration and Charms class in Gryffindor House (after Hermione of course). Hermione even scheduled to study and do homework during Harry's visits with his dad on weekends. In fact, James had allowed Hermione Ron and Neville visit along with Harry so the have a private place to work on their homeworks.

James was actually glad Harry befriended Hermione. Like Neville and Ron, James could tell Hermione was nothing like Peter.

Ever since the Troll incident, Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking the rules, and she been nicer around Harry Neville and Ron. In fact, Neville often paired up with Hermione (much too Seamus' relief) during potions, which help prevented many accidents in the class and saved Gryffindor House many points from Snape finding some reason to blame Harry for it.

Harry even lend Hermione his own copy _Quidditch Through the Ages_ , so Hermione could return her library book.

The day before Harry's first match, the four of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break. Hermione had conjured them a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar. They were standing with their backs to it, keeping warm and keeping it out of teacher's view. Which was hard when Snape almost caught them when he passed by.

That evening the Gryffindor's common room was too noisy for the four of them, so they went to James' room to study in peace. Hermione was checking on Ron's and Neville's Charm work, not letting them copy off her's or Harry's. Ever since Hermione helped Harry improved in Charms and Transfiguration, Harry had stopped needing Hermione to check on his work.

Harry had finished his homework before Ron and Neville cause of it and was reading his copy of _Quidditch Through the Ages_ , hoping it would ease his nerves about tomorrow.

James came into the room and saw two of the four of them finishing up their homework.

"How's it going?" James asked.

"Difficult," Hermione said, "Harry seem to understand more about this stuff than Ron and Neville."

James chuckled. "Harry always seemed to have a bit of his mother's wisdom."

James headed to his room.

"What does your dad mean?" Hermione asked Harry.

"My mum was the top student of their class," Harry said. "She even beat my dad's and uncle Padfoot's scores in their best topic: Transfigurations."

"I never said that!" James hollered from his room.

…

The next morning dawned a bright and cold day. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match.

Harry was practically enhaling every food he can get his hands on.

"Hungry much?" Dean Thomas asked.

"I need my strength if I'm going to last out there," Harry said. "Seekers are the most targeted players in Quidditch by Beaters."

"Not to mention there's no telling how the Slytherin's Seeker plans to win," Seamus said.

"Terence Higgs? I wouldn't worry about him," Harry said. "He's cunning, but his record is clean. He plays the position Seeker fairly within the rules. I'm more worried about Marcus Flint."

"The Slytherin Team Captain?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded. "Where Higgs plays fairly, Flint makes it up with making foul moves to make sure the other team's seeker fails to catch the snitch. One time he took his Beater's club and used it to hit a bludger to knock out a Ravenclaw's Seeker right off their broom just when they were about to grab the snitch."

Most Gryffindors wined at the thought, including the Gryffindors that saw that match.

…

By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes.

Ron Hermione and Neville joined Seamus and Dean at the top row, waiting to see Harry off.

In the staff section of the stands, James sat with his fellow co-workers, waiting anxiously for the game to start and praying that Harry would be okay. James knew better than anyone who never played Quidditch that the first game is the hardest for any new player. And the fact that Harry was only eleven years old would make him look like a bigger target to a tricky bunch of cunning players on the opposite team like Slytherin House.

Meanwhile, in the locker room, Harry along with the Weasley twins were changing in the males locker room into scarlet Quidditch robes and in Harry's case: strapping on his goggles. Wood, being the team captain, has his own section of the locker room to change, and the rest of the team—who were girls—were changing in the girl's lockerroom.

Harry already knew each player on the team, including the three female teammates who makes up the Chasers for the Gryffindor team.

First there was Katie Bell, a second year Gryffindor who, like Harry, started playing this year, but was one of the best choices for Chaser. She was fast and agile, and she almost never misses a hoop when throwing the Quaffle (unless it's blocked by a good Keeper). The fact that Katie was also a rookie eased Harry's nerves as it made him feel better that he wasn't the only new player on the team.

The other two girls were third year chaser. One was Angelina Johnson, who joined the team last year the same time as Fred and George, but you would think the way she helped Wood come up with game plays, she was the team captain. She was smart but at the salme time bossy, and not the type of person you want to cross.

Finally, there was Alicia Spinnet. Although this is year was her first year as a full time player for the Gryffindor Team, today wasn't her first time playing. Last year she earned the spot on the reserve team and played the final match last year when one of the Chasers was sick.

From the team practices Harry had with them, he knew everyone was good at the positions they were in, which made him slightly worried. True he wasn't the only newbie on the team and he wasn't the only playing for the first time today, but due to Harry's age, he was still the underdog who just so happens to have the most important position in the whole game—and not just because of the hundred and fifty points catching the snitch is worth (although most of the time it is important to a team's victory to catch it).

If the Seeker isn't able to catch the snitch, the game can go on for days. The longest record was three months with the team having to substitute their players with their reserves just so they can sleep.

That's why it's important for the Seeker to be small and fast. If they can't keep up with the Snitch in order to catch it, then it wouldn't matter if they could find the Snitch or not, because unless they catch it, the game will never end.

When the whole team had gathered in the locker room, Wood cleared his throat for silence.

"Okay, men," he said.

"And women," said Angelina Johnson.

"And women," Wood agreed. "This is it."

"The big one," said Fred Weasley.

"The one we've all been waiting for," said George.

"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry.

"Shut up, you two," said Wood. "This is the best team Gryffindor had in years. We're going to win. I know it."

He glared at them all as if to say, "Or else."

"Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you."

Harry followed Fred and George out of the locker room, carrying one of the school's Nimbus Two Thousand. Most of the other teammates were relying on their own brooms that they been playing with before Harry's dad made the donation. As useful as the donation was, Wood insisted to keep the school's new brooms on reserve incase one of their brooms become unusable. Unfortunately, Harry was an exception due to him not allowing to have his own broom.

They walked out of the locker room onto the field to loud cheers.

Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand.

"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she said, once they were all gathered around her. Harry noticed that she was speaking particularly to the Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint. Flint was a fifth year, who looked as if he must have some troll blood in him.

"Mount your brooms, please."

Harry clambered onto the Nimbus Two Thousand.

Madam Hooch blew a blast out of her silver whistle, and fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air.

…

James watched from his binoculars as Harry rose higher from the rest of the teams—besides Slytherin's Seeker Terrance Higgs who rose to the same height.

As James waited from the game to start, he couldn't help but be amaze by how much Harry had grown as a flier since Harry rode his first toy broom that Sirius got him for his birthday and smashed into a vase Lily got from her sister and scaring off their house cat that died sometime after Voldemort killed Lily and tried to kill Harry.

James could tell from here that Harry had the first-game-jitters, and yet Harry was handling his broom with ease—not letting the broom react to his emotions. The broom may not choose it's owner like a magical wand, but a flying broom can still sense when it's user is nervous or scared, and it affects how the broom reacts to the rider movements.

That's why Quidditch Players need calm steady minds even under the stress of the game. If they can't control their broom stick's actions in the middle of the game, it can cost the team both in points and in lives if not careful.

At that moment Madam Hooch threw the Quaffle which started the game.

…

The moment the game started, the Weasley Twin's friend Lee Jordan started doing his commentary for the match while being watch by Professor McGonagall for any biased or rude comments or comments unrelated to the game. "And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor—what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too—"

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry, Professor. And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve—back to Johnson and—no, the Slytherins have taken the Quafle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes—Flint flying like an eagle up there—he's going to sc—no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and Gryffindor take the Quaffle—that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor, two of Gryffindor's newest player, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and—ouch—that must have hurt, bit in the back of the head by a Bludger—Quaffle taken by Slytherins—that's Adrian Pucey speeding toward the goalpost, but he's blocked by a second Bludger—sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which—nice play by Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes—she's really flying—dodges a speeding Bludger—the goalposts are ahead—come on now, Angelina—Keeper Bletchley dives—misses—GRYFFINDOR SCORE!"

Gryffindors cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins. Although the staff box couldn't hear any of it because James was cheering the loudest.

…At the Gryfindor's stand…

"Budge up there, move along."

"Hagrid!"

Ron Hermione and Neville squeezed together to give Hagrid enough space to join them.

"Been watching from my hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck, "But it isn't the same as being in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet?"

"Nope," said Neville.

"Harry hadn't had much to do yet," Ron explained. "Except maybe being embarrassed by his dad's loud cheering."

"Oh, yeah. I heard James on the way here," Hagrid said. "Better for Harry to keep out of trouble, though."

Hagrid raised his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry.

Way above them, Harry was gliding over the game, squinting for some sign of the Snitch. This was part of Oliver's plan to keep Harry safe until the snitch was found.

When Angelina had scored, Harry felt like doing some loop-the-loops to let off his feelings until he heard his dad yelling and cheering. That happens every time James takes Harry to see a Quidditch Game.

Once Harry caught sight of a gold flash, but it turned out to be just one of the Weasley Twin's watches reflecting off the son. That almost cost Harry a Bludger to the head if it wasn't for Fred beating it out of the way and at Marcus Flint.

"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the—wait a moment—was that the Snitch?"

A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that passed his left ear.

Harry saw it before Lee Jordan mentioned it as he dived downward after the streak of Gold. Terrence Higgs saw it too and was racing neck to neck with Harry for the Snitch. All the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair.

Harry was faster than Higgs as he headed toward the little round ball with silvery wing fluttering as it darted up ahead. Harry was about to gain extra speed when—WHAM!

A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors bellow as Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose, sending Harry's broom spinning of course. Harry manage to keep on it as he regain control.

"FOUL!" James yelled. "Come on Hooch! Flint almost knock my son off his Broom!"

Professor Sprout had to pull James down before he did something he regret, much to Harry's embarrassment.

Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goalpost for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared.

"You okay, Harry?" Higgs asked.

"Yeah, thanks, Higgs," Harry responded. "But next time I'll get the Snitch."

"Not before I do," Higgs said as he flew off.

Harry shook his head with a smirk. He could never understand how Flint became Quidditch Captain when Higgs would have been a fair choice.

…

Down in the stands, Dean Thomas was yelling in agreement to Professor Potter in his own soccer fan way. "Send him off, ref! Red card!"

"What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron.

"Red card!" said Dean furiously. "In soccer you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!"

"But this isn't soccer, Dean," Ron reminded him.

"They ought to change the rules." Hagrid agreed with Dean. "Flint could of knocked Harry out of the air."

…

Lee Jordan was finding it difficult to remain neutral.

"So—after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating—"

"Jordan!" growl Professor McGonagall.

"I mean, after that open revolting foul—"

 _"Jordan, I'm warning you—_ "

"Try 'purposely knocking my son spinning out of control'!" James yelled.

"Professor!" McGonagall yelled earning laughs.

"All right, all right," Lee Jordan took McGonagall's side. "Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinnet, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue to play, Gryffindor still in possession."

…

Fortunately, at the same time James made that comment, Harry was too busy dodging yet another Bludger too pay attention to what his dad said. Unfortunately, that's when things went wrong. His broom gave a sudden lurch. Harry gripped the broom with both his hands and feet to keep himself from falling off.

Then it happened again. It was as if the broom decided to buck its rider off. Harry tried to regain control, but his broom wouldn't let him as it zigzagged through the air, violently swishing around, trying to buck unseat Harry.

Lee was still commentating.

"Slytherin in Posession—Flint with the Quaffle—passes Spinnet—passes Bell—hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose—only joking, Professor—Slytherin score—"

The Slytherins were cheering as no one seemed to notice what was going on with Harry and his broom. Hagrid did.

"Don't know what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid mumbled as he stared through his binoculars. "If I didn't know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom… but he couldn't have…"

People started noticing Harry struggling to stay on his broom as it started rolling over and giving wild jerks. It's only a miracle that Harry was staying on.

"Did something happen when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered .

"Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful dark magic—no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."

Suddenly there was a gasped from the teacher's stand as Harry's broom started steadying itself.

"What happened?" Ron asked.

Hermione took Hagrid's Binoculars and looked at the staff stand and saw what appears to be Professor Quirrel had knocked into Snape as the two started getting up. She saw James behind them trying to hide a smirk like he just done something that saved Harry.

"Harry's dad did something," Hermione said.

…

What happened was that James noticed his son's situation the same time Hagrid did, and was scared for his sons life.

James looked around and saw that both Quirrell and Snape chanting something while keeping eye contact on Harry. James figured one was jinxing the broom while the other was counter jinxing it. Not knowing who was doing what and still suspicious about what the two might have done to cause Harry's scar to hurt the first night at Hogwarts, James decided to take action.

Just as the students started realizing something was wrong with Harry's Broom—James flicked his wand, using a little hex that cause someone to loose balance on Quirrell, who was in front of Snape. With success Quirrell lost balance and fell right onto Snape, forcing the two to hit the ground. James quickly put away his wand before anyone noticed.

…

As soon as Harry regained control, he sped down toward the ground. The crowd saw him clapped his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick—he hit the field on all fours—and coughed up the Golden Snitch that somehow flew into his mouth when he was trying to stay on his broom into his hands.

"I've got it!" Harry shouted, waving it above his head. "I got the snitch!"

There was confusion at first, but then the whole Gryffindor House cheered loudly.

"He didn't _catch_ it, he nearly _swallowed_ it," Flint was howling, but it made no difference. Harry didn't break any rules, and Gryffindor won a hundred and seventy points to sixty.

…

Later Harry, Ron, Hermione, James, and Hagrid were having tea.

"James saved you!" Neville said. "He did something to stop Snape from Hexing the broom."

"What?" Harry asked.

"I didn't say it was Snape," Hermione said.

"Oh come on, Hermione. I don't see Quirrell jinxing Harry's broom," Ron said.

"James do you know something about this?" Hagrid asked.

"No, actually. I'm as surprise as you are," James lied.

"This can't be coincidence," Harry said. "Maybe whoever was jinxing my broom is the reason why my scar was hurting the during the first feast—and maybe behind the theft in Gringotts."

"Okay, stop right there," James intervene. "I don't care what you might think of either professors. But I doubt Quirrell or Snape would go after what was in vault seven hundred and thirteen."

"Why, Professor Potter?" Neville asked.

"Because it's none of your business." James said.

"That's right. The only ones who should be concern is Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel!"

There was a moment of silence as James slapped his forehead.

"I shouldn't have said that," Hagrid said.


	12. The Mirror of Erised

**A/N:** I'm going to make this clear. I don't own the Harry Potter series or it's characters. That right goes to JK Rowling

* * *

 **The Mirror of Erised**

Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.

No one could wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows of the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.

All during the class, Malfoy was as annoying as he had been since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that Slytherin had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouth tree frog would be replacing Harry as Seeker next. Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all impressed by how Harry manage to stay on his bucking broomstick. So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone to taunting Harry through other possible ways.

Harry wished he could stay for the school year, but James had up and decided that it was best that they go home for winter break. James wouldn't say why, but Harry figured it was to stop him from researching Nicholas Flamel.

Ever since Hagrid brought up that name Hermione Ron Neville and Harry was trying to research the name—mostly because Ron and Neville agreed with Harry that they heard the name before.

The best part though was that the Weasley Family was going to Romania to visit Charlie, and they invited James and Harry.

They left the dungeons at the end of Potions, and found a large fig tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud uffing sound that told them that Hagrid was behind it.

"Hi Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asked, sticking his head through the branches.

"Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron."

"Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Malfoy's cold drawl from behind them. "Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose—that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to."

Ron dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs.

"WEASLEY!"

Ron let go of the front of Malfoy's robes.

"He was provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, sticking his huge face out from behind the tree. "Malfoy was insulting his family."

"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," said Snape silkily. "Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you."

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere and smirking.

"I'll get him," said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back, "one of these days."

"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Hagrid. "Tell you what, come with me and see the Great Hall, looks a treat."

"Sounds good," Neville said.

The four of them followed Hagrid and his tree off to the Great Hall, where Professor Mcgonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decarations.

"Ah, Hagrid, the last tree—put it in the far corner, would you?"

The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.

"How many days got left until your holidays?" asked Hagrid.

"Just one," said Hermione. "And that reminds me—Ron, Neville, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."

"Oh yeah, you're right," said Ron, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree."

"The library?" said Hagrid as the three left. "Just before the holiday?"

Harry shrugged. "That's Hermione for you. Always want to find a new book to read."

"Then why aren't you going with them?" Hagrid asked.

"Dad banned me from the library without supervision," Harry replied. "He thinks I'll try to look up what is hidden here at the school through the library."

Hagrid looked at Harry carefully, "I better go check on Hermione Ron and Neville."

Harry smirked as Hagrid left. Truth was, James didn't banned Harry, but has informed Madam Pince to keep an eye on his son for any mystery activity, which Harry learned the first day of their search for Flamel.

So instead, Harry been going over his chocolate frogs. If Nicolas Flamel was a famous wizard, he would have his own card. If not, Harry been trading famous wizard cards with other Gryffindors as well as Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and the few trusted Slytherins. He even paid off Fred and George Weasley, who started going to Hogsmeade this year, to bring him back some chocolate frogs since the twins have become notorious for sneaking in something from those trips—without telling them why other than that Harry is looking for a rare card—which worked out.

As Ron Hermione and Neville search the library, Harry decided to explore the castle.

Harry use to do this when he was little while his dad either worked or sleep. Harry would often get so lost James had to send a search party to look for his son. One time, Harry even found a passageway tunnel that coincidentally led straight to Filch—nearly giving the man a heart attack. Too this day Filch still thinks Harry knew where the Passageway was the whole time and was trying to use it to scare him.

Not only that, but it was because of Harry's little adventures around the Castle, he learned some of the castle's secrets, which led to the reason why Harry never stopped as a kid as he always hoped to find a new adventure.

But now that Harry was a student, he didn't plan for another adventure before Christmas. Sadly, that adventure found him.

Harry was wondering around, eating a chocolate frog, stuffing empty wrappers in his pocket and wizard cards he been through in his bag, when he didn't noticed he stepped on Mrs. Norris' tail until he heard the cat scream in pain.

Harry stumbled back as Mrs. Norris shot off to find her master. Knowing he was going to get in trouble for accidentally stepping on Mrs. Norris (as Filch was well known about every student's ambition to kick the cat), not to mention Harry's pocket were stuff with chocolate frog wrappers that Filch might mistaken as some form of prank involving littering (Filch always jumps into conclusions about students faster than he appears through some passageway); Harry quickly opened the nearest door and quickly went inside what he thought was a closet and closed it.

Harry steadied his breathing as he heard the scuffling sounds of someone running by along with the familiar wheezing sound Filch makes when he run to the scene of the rule breaking.

Harry stayed quiet until he didn't hear Filch anymore.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief before turning around and found he wasn't in a broom closet but rather an empty classroom.

It wasn't very surprising. James had told Harry that Hogwarts had several spare classrooms in the castle, which comes in handy when something happens to one of the other classrooms leaving the professor needing a temporary classroom (which happens more than you would think with Peeves the poltergeist as well as the Weasley Twins).

But what caught Harry's attention was a magnificent mirror in the classroom, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: _Erised stra ehru oy tube cafru oyt on wohsi._

Harry found himself curiously drawn toward the mirror, wanting to look see himself in it for some reason. When Harry stepped in front of it, Harry had to clap his hands to mouth to stop himself from screaming.

In the mirror was him, but he wasn't alone. Standing behind him was a woman with dark red hair, bright green eyes smiling at him waving, but at the same time crying. Harry immediately recognized her from all the photos his father kept in the Potter Cottage.

"Mum," Harry said.

The woman's smile grew as she nodded. She wrapped her arms around Harry like his dad would do when he's upset and hugged him.

Although it didn't really happen outside the mirror, Harry almost imagined feeling his mother's arms wrapped around him.

Harry stood there for what seemed for hours—not even noticing the classroom door opening and closing.

"Harry—"

Harry jumped and turned to see it was his dad.

"Dad… what?"

"I went searching for you when you didn't show up for lunch with your friends," James said. "I see you found the Mirror of Erised."

"The Mirror of Erised?" Harry asked.

James nodded. "It's an enchanted mirror that shows whoever faces it their greatest desire. That's why you're seeing mother."

"How—"

"Because I know you, Harry," James stated.

Harry let tears flowed from his eyes. "I missed her, dad. I never knew her, but I want too."

"I know," James said. "I miss her too and I wish she could see you now. But I know she would be proud of the kind of person you have become."

"Thanks dad," Harry said.

"Come, Harry. Your friends are worried about you," James said.

Harry nodded and left with James.

* * *

 **A/N:** In case some of you might have failed to understand Harry's Heart's Desire in this story: It is to meet his mother and get to know her.


	13. Discoveries That Makes Things Worse

**A/N:** I'm going to make this clear. I don't own the Harry Potter series or it's characters. That right goes to JK Rowling

* * *

 **Discoveries That Makes Things Worse**

Compared to the Mirror of Erised, the rest of the Holiday seem insignificant. But that didn't mean Harry didn't enjoy it.

He and James went with the Weasleys to visit Charlie at Romania and Harry got to see many dragons and learn quickly to stay away from nesting dragons when he got too close to one and was almost burned to a crisp for it.

Harry also got an assortment of presents including a Weasley Jumper sweater, more chocolate frogs from Hermione (which James had to limit Harry to one a day after he discovered Harry been hyped up on sugar from eating so many), a handmade flute from Hagrid, a magically enchanted school bag so Harry could store more things in it from Andromeda, a communication mirror from Remus, and a magical enchanted knife from Sirius that unlocks any locks (James had something to say about that when he got home), and five pense of mortal money from the Dursleys.

After the trip at Romania, Harry spend the remaining of his vacation being spoiled by his uncles while having to hear James rant at Sirius for one reason or another. Sirius even gave Harry Quidditch tips on how to handle Bludgers for his next game.

The only down side from the Mirror was that the mirror triggered old nightmares that Harry haven't had since he was a toddler. Over and over again, he dreamed of his mother being killed by a flash of green light while there was a high voice cackled with laughter.

When Harry came back to Hogwarts, he forgot about the Mirror, and about their search for Nicolas Flamel, much to Hermione's disappointment.

Eventually Harry had to leave that search to his friends completely as Wood had started working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits (which made Harry even more grateful for the magical playing goggles).

The Weasleys complained that Wood was becoming frantic, but Harry was on Wood's side. If they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the House Championship for the first time in seven years. Quite apart from wanting to win, Harry found that he had fewer nightmares when he was tired out after training.

But one day, Wood gave the team bad news. He'd just gotten very angry with the Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.

"Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any reason to knock points off Gryffindor!"

George Weasley really did fall off his broom at these words.

" _Snape's_ refereeing?" he sputtered through a mouthful of mud. "When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match?"

"What about Harry's dad?" Fred asked. "Professor Potter. He knows enough about Quidditch to referee."

"I don't know," Wood said. "Honestly I would prefer Professor Potter over Snape. Maybe they didn't want him to overreact and act unprofessionally like last time."

"Harry, can't you talk to your dad about replacing Snape as referee?" George asked.

"I can try," Harry said, "But I can't promise anything."

…

"Sorry Harry, but there's nothing I can do," James said. "Snape argued against me refereeing, saying I'm to close to the Gryffindor team with you in it."

"But he won't be fair!" Harry complained, "Especially since he resents me."

"One, Professor Snape doesn't resent you," James said. "Secondly, all I can tell you is to catch the Snitch early in the game."

Harry pouted and stayed that way even when he arrived at the Gryffindor common room, where he found Ron and Hermione playing chess. Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Harry and Ron though was very good for her. But Neville wasn't much better in Wizard Chess, so at least Hermione wasn't the only worse player in the group.

Thinking about their round face friend made Harry realized that Neville was no where in the room.

"Where's Neville?" Harry asked.

"School Library," Hermione said. "He's giving it another go at looking at Nicolas Flamel before we quit all together."

"What's the matter with you?" Ron asked. "You look terrible."

"Snape is refereeing the next game," Harry said.

"What?" Ron asked. "He might use it as an excuse to kill you."

"Not this again," Hermione said. "I told you, I'm not certain it was Snape jinxing the broom."

"Oh, like Quirrell is a likely person to attack Harry," Ron said.

"No offense, Ron, but I have to side with Hermione," Harry said. "I mean, we saw Professor Snape and my dad together when we searched for Hermione, remember? Why would Snape want me dead if he's willing to work with my dad who was is school rival when they were our age."

"I don't know! Maybe he was trying to get your dad away from you," Ron said.

"Sure, because my dad knew we were about to fight a troll instead of coming here."

"Professor Potter did seem surprise to see us in the bathroom with an unconscious troll," Hermione said.

At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg Locker Curse. He must have had bunny hop all the way up to Gryfindor tower.

Hermione quickly performed the counter curse and Neville's legs sprang apart. Neville manage to get to his feet once his legs were freed.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"Malfoy," said Neville shakily. "I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on—after he used it on me."

"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!"

Neville shook his head. "I don't want more trouble."

"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron.

"I did, and look where it got me," Neville said.

Harry reached in his bag and took out a chocolate frog. He was saving it for his daily chocolate treat, but he decided to give it to Neville instead.

"Here," Harry said. "This might make you feel better."

"Thanks, Harry," Neville said as he unwrapped the frog and eat it. "Here, you can have the card. From what I heard you been trying to trade in order to find Nicholas Flamel."

Harry nodded and looked at the card and saw it was Dumbledore. "How is it Professor Dumbledore has the most common famous wizard card. You would think—"

Harry stopped as he realized something. He turned the card over and read over the info before gasping.

"I found him!" Harry whispered excitedly. "I've found Flamel! I _told_ you I'd seen his name in a card before, but on a Dumbledore Card. Listen: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, _and his work_ _on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel_!"

Reading the card must have triggered something in Hermione's head, because she jumped to her feet.

"Stay here!" she said before sprinting up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Harry Neville and Ron barely had time to snap out of their shock before she came dashing back with an enormous old book in her arms.

"I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

"Light?" said Ron in exasperation.

"Be quiet," Hermione responded as she started flicking frantically through the pages.

At last she found what she was looking for.

"I knew it! I _knew_ it!"

"What?" Neville asked.

"Nicolas Flamel," she whispered dramatically, "is the _only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone!_ "

"The what?" Ron and Neville asked.

"Oh, _honestly_ , don't you guys read?"

"Um, Hermione, I read plenty of books and even I never heard of the Sorcerer's Stone," Harry said.

"Look—read that, there." She pushed the book toward the boys to read:

 _The ancient study of alchemy is concern with making the Sorcerer's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produce the Elixer of Life, which will make the drinker immortal._

 _There have been many reports of the Sorcerer's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (Six hundred and fifty eight)._

"See?" said Hermione as they finished.

"Professor Dumbledore must be keeping the stone safe for Flamel," Harry said, "Which means vault must have belonged to Flamel."

"A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying," Neville said, "I can see why Snape is after it! Anyone would want it."

"And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in any book involving modern events, or in the last century," Ron said. "He's been around for almost seven centuries."

"I still don't know if Snape is behind this, but I can see why my dad didn't want us to know about it," Harry said. "If word gets out that something that valuable is in the castle, the most of the school might go after it."

…

Since that day, it been torturous. Oliver been pushing Harry to fly faster and find the Snitch faster. The idea of overtaking Slytherin in the House Championship was on everyone's mind, even with a biased referee?"

Quidditch practice isn't the only thing bothering Harry. The closer Harry was to his game against Hufflepuff, the more it seems he runs into Snape. Snape just seems to be appearing out of nowhere, looking for an excuse to punish Harry. Not only that, but Potions lessons were turning into a sort of weekly torture. Harry is starting to wonder if Ron was right about Snape being up to no good.

The day of the game, Ron Hermione and Neville wished Harry luck as he headed to the locker room before finding a spot in the stands. Unknown to Harry, his friends had a plan to deal with Snape in case he really was the culprit to what happened to his broom his during his first game.

The next day Neville Ron and Hermione wished Harry luck as he headed to his locker room and they headed for the stands.

After Harry got dressed and was ready for the game, Wood had taken him aside just to remind him how important it was to get the Snitch early in the game.

"The whole school's out there!" said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door. "Even—blimey—Dumbledore's come to watch!"

"Dumbledore?" Harry asked as he made a dash to the door.

Sure enough, Fred was right. Harry saw Dumbledore sitting next to his father. Seeing the school's headmaster made Harry sigh with relief. Culprit or not, Snape or anyone that hexed his broom during his first game wouldn't try anything with Dumbledore watching.

As the teams marched on the field, Snape seem angrier than usual, but for once Harry was dead set on his goal.

…

"Is it me, or Snape is nastier than usual?" Neville asked.

"You're right," Ron said.

"Off they go," Hermione said as the two teams and Snape flew in the air to start the ame.

"Oouch!" Ron yelped as someone poked him in the back of the head. It was Malfoy.

"Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn't see you there."

Malfoy grinned broadly at Crabbe and Goyle.

"Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on his broom this time? Anyone want to bet? What about you, Weasley?"

Ron didn't answer as Snape awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George Weasley hit a Bludger at him. Harry was still circling the game like a hawk searching for his pray—or in Harry's case, the snitch.

"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all. "It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who has no mother, then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money—you should be on the team, Longbottom. They probably feel sorry for you if they know where your parents are at!"

Neville went bright red and turned and punched Malfoy in the nose.

"Shut up Malfoy!" Neville said.

"Way to go Neville," Ron patted Neville on the back.

"Ron! Neville!" said Hermione suddenly, "Harry—!"

"What?" Ron asked.

"Where?" Neville asked.

Harry had suddenly one into a spectacular dive as he streaked down toward the ground, earning a gasp and cheers from the crowd.

"You're in luck Weasley," said Malfoy holding his nose, "Potter obviously spotted some money on the ground for you!"

Now it was Ron's turn to snap as he jumped ontop of Malfoy and started wrestling with him.

Meanwhile Harry made a twist on his broom to dodge Snape and caught the snitch that was just hovering next to Snape.

Harry pulled out of the dive and raised his arm with the Snitch in the air.

The stands erupted in a loud cheer as the game only lasted five minutes.

"That's my son!" James yelled and cheered. "New Hogwarts Quidditch Record beaten by my son!"

Harry jumped off his broom, a foot from the ground as Gryffindors came spilling onto the field to congratulate him, not only for the spectacular catch, but of the fact that thanks to him Gryffindor had the lead over Slytherin for the first time in seven years.

As Harry was swarmed by his fellow Gryffindors, he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into Dumbledore's smiling face.

"Well done," said Dumbledore quietly, so that only Harry could hear. "Your father told me about your little discovery before Christmas break. I'm pleased to know _that_ mirror hasn't affected you too much."

Harry couldn't help but smile before James came out of nowhere ad lifted his son up to his shoulders to help show off his son and how proud he was.

"Wait until your uncles hear about this! They will be proud of you," James told Harry before breaking into a quiet voice so only Harry could hear, "And so would your mother."

…

After James was done parading around with Harry on his shoulder, Harry was allowed to go into the locker room to change.

Harry took longer than he thought to change, as he left the locker room alone with the Nimbus Two Thousand in his hands. He was heading to the broomshed to put up his broom. He couldn't ever remember feeling happier. He'd really done something to be proud of now. He wasn't just a famous name to first years anymore, he was the boy that broke the School record of quickest Quidditch match in Hogwarts History.

Heck, even Cedric Diggory, a fourth year Seeker for the Hufflepuff team showed good sportsmanship and congratulate Harry for the fantastic grab out there.

Not only that but Ron and Neville had told him how Neville gave Malfoy a nose bleed, and Ron left him black and blue with bruises. If only Harry was able to see that.

Harry reached the shed and put up his broom. When he was done, he leaned against the wooden door and looked up at Hogwarts, with its windows glowing red in the setting sun. Gryffindor was in the lead now. It's too early to say that Gryffindor will win the House Cup, but as long as they win the next match against Ravenclaw House, any points they lost from here on until the match might be regained. At least, Harry hope so if they don't get any more interference from Snape acting as referee, or worse.

Speaking of Snape…

A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest. Harry recognized the prowling walk as the way Snape walks.

With curiosity overwhelming him, Harry reached in his bag that he kept brought with him from the locker room and took out his cloak of invisibility and quickly shroud himself in it, becoming invisible, and followed Snape.

When Snape entered the forest, Harry couldn't help but pause. The forbidden forest was out of limits for all students. He could get in serious trouble just being this close to it (he know this because of the times the Weasley Twins were caught trying to enter the forest).

Harry was tempted to take out his communication mirror that he got for Christmas and contact his dad. But again, Harry hesitated. What would he tell his dad? He saw a hooded figure that walks like Snape enter the forest? Even if it was Snape, it wasn't against any rules for a professor who is well trained and taught in the arts of magic to enter the forest. Still the fact that Snape entered the forest—trying not to be seen—made Harry curious into why a professor would want to sneak into the forest in the first place.

Harry decided to just sneak up until he can barely see the castle, stay invisible, and if he doesn't see Snape, leave.

…

Thankfully, Snape didn't go very far into the forest, but unfortunately he wasn't alone.

Harry found Snape with Quirrell in a clearing. Harry quickly hid behind a tree several arm's lengths from where he came from incase Snape and Quirrell decide to leave that way—since it was a straight route to Hogwarts, as he listen in to Quirrell stuttering worse than usual.

"…d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to me here of all p-places, Severus…"

"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," said Snape, his voice icy. "Students aren't supposed to know about the Sorcerer's Stone, after all."

Quirrell started mumbling something Harry couldn't make out. Snape interrupted him.

"Have you found out how to get past that three headed beast of Hagrid's yet?"

 _Three headed beast?_ Harry thought. Harry thought back to when he passed by the forbidden third floor corridor when he heard what sounded like three large dogs growling. But if it's what Snape was talking about, then it was one large animal just with three heads.

"B-b-but Severus, I—"

"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," said Snape, taking a step toward him.

"I-I don't know what you—"

"You know perfectly well what I mean."

An owl hooted so loudly, Harry almost broke a branch he didn't even know he was holding. Thankfully he didn't and stayed quiet to hear Snape say, "—your little bit of hocus pocus. I'm waiting."

"B-but I d-d-don't –"

"Very well," Snape cut in. "We'll have another chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decide where your loyalties lie."

He threw his cloak over his head and strode out of the clearing. It was almost dark now, but Harry could see Quirrell, standing quite still as though he was petrified.

Right now Snape look more like an enemy than Quirrell, and that's what scares Harry.

…

"Harry, where have you _been_?" Hermione squeaked. "We were about to go get your dad!"

"We won! You won! We won!" Ron and Neville cheered loudly.

"Well, I was about to get your dad," Hermione corrected.

"Guys listen, I got something to tell you," Harry said.

He told them what he'd seen and heard. Sometime during the story, Neville and Ron finally quit cheering.

"So we were right, it _is_ the Sorcerer's Stone, and Snape if Snape indeed is after it, he's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get pass a three headed dog—and he said something about Quirrell's 'hocus-pocus'—I reckon there are other things protecting the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell that Snape needs to break through—"

"So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" said Hermione in alarm.

"It'll be gone by next Tuesday," said Ron.

"If not sooner," Neville responded.


	14. Hagrid Hatches a Dragon

**A/N:** I'm going to make this clear. I don't own the Harry Potter series or it's characters. That right goes to JK Rowling

* * *

 **Hagrid Hatches a Dragon**

Quirrell was braver than Ron and Neville thought. In the weeks that followed he did seem to be getting paler and thinner, but it didn't look as though he'd cracked yet.

Harry would pass the third floor corridor every now and then to see if there were any signs of the dog being silent, but there were still the sound of three dogs fighting in a small space. Snape was sweeping about in his unusual bad temper, which surely meant that the Stone was still safe.

Anytime he passes Quirrell, Harry gave the professor an encouraging smile, and when someone made fun of Quirrell, Ron would tell them off. Even Neville stood up to Quirrell in Defense Against the Dark Arts Class whenever he started stuttering.

Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Sorcerer's Stone. She had started drawing up study schedules and color coding all her notes. Not only that, but she been nagging on Neville Ron and Harry to do the same.

"Hermione, the exams are ages away," Ron argued.

"Ten weeks," Hermione snapped. "That's not ages."

"But why are you studying?" Ron asked. "You already know it all."

"Why am I studying? Are you crazy? You realized we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what got into me…"

Harry and Neville stayed out of the argument, mostly because they didn't want Hermione to snap at them. When it comes to test and exams, a whole new side of Hermione is shown where she's obviously afraid of failing the test.

Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Hermione. They piled so much homework on them that the Easter holidays weren't nearly as much fun as Christmas. Even James—who normally goes easy on the assignments—had started slamming them with homework.

Most of the days, Harry Ron Neville and Hermione either stayed at James corridor to study, or at the library.

One day the four of them spend a nice clear day in the library trying to get over the extra work.

"I'll never remember this." Ron was the first to break as he threw his quill down. Then he noticed Hagrid shuffling out of view—trying not to be noticed. "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"

Hagrid shuffled back into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.

"Just looking," he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once. "And what are you lot up to?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "You're not looking for Nicolas Flamel, are you?"

Ron was about to speak up but Harry interrupt him.

"Don't worry, we found out about Flamel long time ago," Harry said. "It turns out for a name you and dad were trying to keep a secret from us could be found on any of Dumbledore's Famous Wizard Cards."

"Oh, well, yeah, we didn't think anyone would search for his name on a wizard card," Hagrid said. "So is that all you found?"

"Well, no, we also found what the school is guarding, but we understand why it's a hush-hush," Harry said. "After all, no proper school like Hogwarts wants their students messing with something so powerful."

"Well, that's good." Hagrid looked around nervously. "If that's all, I'll be on my way."

Hagrid shuffled off.

"Why did you hide everything we know?" Ron asked.

"Because until we know Quirrell cracks, it might be best to keep what we know quiet," Harry said. "Right now, our best hope is that we wait until the end of the school year. Hopefully by then maybe the strain of Snape interrogating him would lead Quirrell to resign from the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts before it literally becomes an end to him."

"So we let the Curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position take it's course without death," Neville said.

"Exactly," Harry said.

"That's great and all, but I wonder what was that thing Hagrid was hiding," Hermione said.

"I'll go find out," said Ron, "I need a break anyways."

Ron left and was barely gone a minute before coming back with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table.

 _"Dragons!"_ he whispered. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: _Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland_ ; _From Egg to Inferno_ , _A Dragon Keeper's Guide._ It's as if Hagrid plans to raise one."

That's when it clicked in Harry's brain. Harry closed his book and started packing up.

"I'm going to go see Hagrid," Harry said as he headed off.

At first, Neville Ron and Hermione was in shock but then they quickly packed up and follow Harry.

"Harry, what's going on?" Hermione asked.

"Hagrid always wanted a dragon," Harry said. "It's been a lifelong dream of his to raise one."

"But that's against our laws!" Ron said.

"I know that. Believe me I know," Harry said. "But Hagrid always had this crazy idea that if he get his hands on an egg, he can hatch and raise it despite the risk."

"So if Hagrid has got himself an egg—" Hermione said.

"Then he would keep it in the last place anyone expects anyone to keep a dragon," Harry said. "And right now, that's Hagrid's Hut."

…

When they knocked on the door of the gamekeeper's hut, they were surprised to see that all the curtains were closed.

"Who is it?" Hagrid called from inside.

"Hagrid, it's us," Harry yelled. "Can we come in?"

There was shuffling noise before the door opened as Hagrid let them in before quickly shutting the door behind them.

Despite the nice warm weather outside, it was stifling hot inside. There was a blazing fire in the grate. Hagrid made them tea and offered them stoat sandwiches, which they refused.

"So you come here for a specific reason?" Hagrid asked.

"Library was getting too stuffy, so we decided to go outside for a bit," Harry lied. "But when we saw that your curtains were closed we thought we check to see why?"

"Oh, nothing to worry about," Hagrid said. "I'm just-trying to keep the cool air in."

"Cool air—Hagrid, it's boiling hot in here," Ron responded.

"Yeah, open a window or something," Neville complained.

"Can't, sorry," said Hagrid glancing at the fire. Neville Ron Hermione and Harry looked over and sure enough saw a huge black egg underneath the kettle in the very heart of the fire.

Busted.

"Hagrid—" Harry said.

"It's nothing to worry about," Hagrid said.

"Nothing?" Ron asked. "That's a dragon's egg! How did you get it?"

"Won it," said Hagrid. "Last night. I was down in the village having a few drinks and got into a game of cards with a stranger. I think he was quite glad to be rid of it, to be honest."

"You're not planning to hatch it, yet?" Hermione asked.

"Of course. I've been doing some reading," said Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this out of the library— _Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit—_ it's a bit out of date, of course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, because their mothers breath on them."

"Yeah, I know. I saw them do that when Ron and I were in Romania during the holidays," Harry explained.

"Right… well according to the book, when it hatches, feed it on a bucket of brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. And see here—how to recognized different eggs—what I got there is a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare."

He looked rather pleased of himself.

"Hagrid," Neville said. "You live in a wooden house. What would you do if it starts a fire?"

Unfortunately, Hagrid had stopped listening as he was humming merrily as he stoked the fire.

…

"We have to tell my dad," Harry said. "Maybe he can talk some sense into Hagrid."

"Or maybe your uncle," Ron said. "He does seem to be the expert in dangerous creatures."

"Even if I could contact Uncle Moony, he won't be able to do anything until next week," Harry said.

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"He has some monthly issues to deal with," Harry said. "Nothing to worry about though."

"But Hagrid does have something to worry about," Neville responded. "He's keeping a you-know-what in his _wooden_ house."

"I think the best thing right now is to see if Hagrid will realize how crazy his plan is," Hermione said. "If it gets out of hand, we'll tell Professor Potter at least."

…

A few days passed and Hermione started making study schedules for Harry Ron and Neville, which drove them nuts.

Then, one breakfast time, Hedwig brought Harry another note from Hagrid. He had written only two words: _It's hatching_.

"Okay, I think it's time we tell my dad," Harry said.

"Maybe, but I want to see it hatching," Ron said. "I say we skip Herbology to see it hatch and then tell your dad."

"No way we're going to do that," Hermione argued.

"We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing—"

"Malfoy alert," Neville responded.

They look to see Malfoy only being a few feet away as he had stopped dead to listen. And judging from the look on his face, Harry guess he heard too much.

"We'll continue this argument after Herbology," Harry said.

"But—"

"Afterwards we'll go see Hagrid." Harry said. "Once we see the dragon hatch, we will decide the best way to inform my dad and get the dragon out of here before Hagrid gets in trouble."

No one could argue after that.

…

After class, Harry Ron Neville and Hermione raced to Hagrid's place. Hagrid greeted them at the door, looking flush and excited.

"It's nearly out." He ushered them inside.

The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it as something was moving and making funny clicking noise from inside.

They all drew their chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath.

All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of hors and bulging, orange eyes.

When it sneezed, a couple of sparks flew out of its snout.

"Isn't he _beautiful_?" Hagrid murmured. He tried to stroke the dragon's head, but the dragon snapped at his fingers, showing its pointed fangs. "Bless him, look, he knows his mummy!"

Hagrid," said Hermione, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgeback grow, exactly?"

Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face—he leapt to his feet and ran to the window.

"What's the matter?"

"Someone was looking through the gap in the curtains—it's a kid—he's running back up to the school.

Harry bolted to the door and looked out. Even at a distance, there was no mistaking him. It was Malfoy.

Harry looked at Hermione Ron and Neville and they came to a silent agreement—they need to tell Harry's dad.

…

"Hagrid has a WHAT?" James yelled.

"A Norwegian Ridgeback," Ron said.

James walked around his room running his hand through his dark hair. "Did Hagrid say anything about getting rid of the dragon?"

"No Professor Potter," Hermione said.

"He thinks he can raise him," Neville said.

"In a wooden house… what on earth is Hagrid thinking?" James responded.

"You're not going to report it, are you dad?" Harry asked.

"I might have too Harry," James said.

"Isn't there another way?" Harry asked. "Hagrid could lose his job!"

"You think I don't know that," James said.

"What if we convince Hagrid to get rid of the dragon before anyone notice?" Neville asked.

"Yeah, we can even ask Ron's brother Charlie about taking the dragon," Harry said.

"Even if we do that, Harry, there's no way we can sneak a dragon out of the castle without being noticed," James said.

"Please, dad!" Harry gave his father his best begging face.

James sighed. "Fine, but I'm only giving you to Charlie responds to convince Hagrid, otherwise I will have to inform someone about this."

"Thank you, Dad!"

"Don't thank me yet," James said, "There's still a matter of punishing you four for not going straight to a professor when you first heard about the egg."

"What?" Harry Ron and Neville responded.

"Ten points off each of you," James said. "And one nights detention once this is over."

"What?"

"Either you take the punishment, or Hagrid takes it," James said, "We'll take advantage of Malfoy finding out to make the school think you four spread the rumors of a dragon and the points taken off and detention is punishment for it."

None of them argued against it as it seem fair.

…

The next day, James planned work. Malfoy went running to Professor McGonagall about the dragon, and James informed her it was a rumor his son and his friends started. Only good side about it was that Malfoy was punished the next day for trying to sneak out to prove it which cost Slytherin House 50 points and Malfoy a night of detention.

However, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville were too busy trying to convince Hagrid to go with the plan to celebrate. A week passed and Hagrid was still sticking to the same story.

"I can't," said Hagrid. "The other dragons will bully him."

Hard to imagine that. In the week alone, the dragon Hagrid name Norbert grew three times in length and been keeping Hagrid from his job.

"Hagrid, dad is only giving us until Charlie responds back," Harry said. "If you don't agree, dad _will_ go to Professor Dumbledore, and not only you'll loose Norbert, but your job."

After a long time of argument, Hagrid agreed.

Which ended up being a good thing because Charlie responded the following day. Which James send a note to Harry about it.

 _Harry,_

 _Charlie agreed to take in the Norwegian Ridgeback, but he can't come himself. Instead he's seeing about having Tonks and a few others who are going to Romania to visit him about taking the dragon. Be prepared to get Norbert to the Astrology tower. The invisibility cloak should be able to hide two of you and the dragon._

 _Dad_

 _P.S. The old statue of a raven next to a scenery painting looks nice. Be sure to take a good look on the way up with the dragon_

"What does that mean?" Neville asked.

"He's giving us a clue to a hidden passage that goes straight to the tower," Harry said. "Or at least part of the way."

And by the next day, they made plans to take Norbert to the Astrology tower on Saturday.

When they went to tell Hagrid, they found Fang the boarhound sitting outside with a bandaged tail. Hagrid opened the window to talk to them.

"I won't let you in," he puffed. "Norbert's at a tricky stage—nothing I can't handle."

They told him about James' arrangement with Charlie. Hagrid's eyes filled with tears, although that might have been because Norbert had just bitten him on the leg.

"Aargh! It's all right, he got my boot—just playing—he's only a baby, after all." Hagrid said. "So Charlie got Tonks into helping him. I must admit, I'm worried about letting Tonks escort Norbert."

"That's why Tonks won't be doing it alone," Harry said.

"By the way, who is Tonks?" Hermione asked.

"She's second cousin of one of Harry's uncles," Ron said. "She's pretty cool, but sometimes she can be a klutz."

At that moment, Norbert banged his tail on the wall, making the windows rattle. They decided to head back before something else happened.

…

Saturday came and it was time to go. It was decided that Hermione and Harry get Norbert to the tower to meet Harry's dad as Neville and Ron would stay at the Gryffindor Common Room and cover for them.

Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a large crate.

"He's got lots of rats and some brandy for the journey," said Hagrid in a muffled voice. "And I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely."

Harry kept quiet as he heard the sound of ripping noises inside the crate.

"Bye-bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed, as Harry and Hermione covered the crate with the Invisibility Cloak and stepped underneath it themselves. "Mummy will never forget you!"

…

Good thing James recommended that secret passage because it cut their time of struggling the crate up the tower by half without the fear of getting caught. The tunnel got them to next to the spiraling staircase up the Astronomy tower, but it did save them from being sighted, even by chance.

Fortunately James was already a quarter up the stairs.

"I send Filch to check out the third floor Corridor," James said as Harry and Hermione removed the cloak. "The dragon in the crate?"

"Yes, dad." Harry said realizing his dad still don't know Norbert's name. "And his name is Norbert."

James nodded. "Then let's get Norbert up the tower."

With two more extra hands they manage to get the crate up the tower. And just in time as four broomsticks flying through the air.

Leading them was a girl in her late teens early twenties with midnight blue hair.

"Wotcher Harry," the girl greeted. "Looking more and more like your father, I see."

"Hey Tonks," Harry said.

"Thanks again for agreeing to this," James said.

"No problem. Fortunately, I made time to visit Charlie in Romania before this whole business started, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to make time away from my Auror training," Tonks responded.

The other three wizards jumped off their brooms and started strapping up the crate. Tonks on other hand turned her attention to Hermione.

"You must be Hermione Granger," Tonks said. "I heard a lot about you."

"You—you did?" Hermione asked.

"Of course. Just about every letter I got from Harry involves something you did," Tonks said. "Not to mention, my cousin Sirius often refers you as the fourth member of the second generation of Maurders."

Hermione turned slightly red with embarrassment.

"Hey, Tonks, we're ready!" said a wizard that came with her.

"Right! We better be off," Tonks said. "Keep your nose clean, Harry."

Soon the four of them were off on their brooms with the crate tied to their brooms with harnesses.

"All right, I think it's safer that I escort you two back to Gryffindor Tower from here," James said. "The last thing we need is for you two to cause more trouble than you already started. Also—"

James took the cloak of invisibility. "I'll keep this on me until we reach the Fat Lady Portrait. That way if someone see us, they think I caught you two wandering around the corridors at midnight."

Harry and Hermione nodded as they followed James down the stairs.

* * *

 **A/N:** I know Tonks is clumsy, but I thought the dragon escort would be a good excuse to introduce Tonks as an actual character and not just someone Harry talks about or receive letters and gifts from.

As for informing James, I thought it make a good twist in this story.


	15. Detention in the Forbidden Forest

**A/N:** I'm going to make this clear. I don't own the Harry Potter series or it's characters. That right goes to JK Rowling

* * *

 **Detention in the Forbidden Forest**

The next day went pretty good. Especially since Malfoy cost Slytherin another twenty points last night when McGonagall caught him sneaking around the castle at dead of midnight along with another night of detention.

Rumor has it, Malfoy was trying to spread a rumor that Professor Potter was working in conspiracy against the school by working with his son and their friends along with Hagrid to illegally transport a dragon. Fortunately, McGonagall didn't believe it and James had enough favoritism with most of the school (due to his unique teaching techniques), that no one believed Malfoy.

Harry and Hermione didn't risk sharing their small conversation with Tonks with Ron or Neville until the four of them were alone since as far as the rest of the school knows what really happened last night didn't happen.

"So Hermione met Tonks?" Ron asked in James' living Quarters.

"Yeah," Harry said. "I don't think she expect Tonks the way she was."

"No, I didn't," Hermione admitted, "The way you talked about her, I pictured her different."

"Did Tonks show off her abilities?" Ron asked.

"Not this time," Harry said, "She'll probably wait until she sees Hermione again to do so."

"What ability?" Hermione asked,

"Tonks is a Metamophmagus," Harry explained, "She can change her appearance without the need of a spell or potion."

"Oh—so then her midnight blue hair—" Hermione asked.

"Is the result of her abilities," Harry said, "She uses it to help her with her Auror training."

"But if you ask her, she can change her appearance to anything you request just for the entertainment," Neville said.

After that Hermione spend the little free time she scheduled to look up on Metamorphmagus.

Which wasn't much since with exams coming closer, Hermione scheduled more study time for them. They even pushed aside the concern about the sorcerer's stone until the exams passed—hoping Quirrell can hold up against Snape until then.

At least, that was the plan until Harry was walking back to the Gryffindor Tower from the Library on his own one afternoon, when he heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As he drew closer, he heard Quirrell's voice.

"No—no—not again, please—"

As Harry moved closer, he realized it sounded as though someone was threatening Quirrell. Harry didn't hear the voice exactly as it was muffled out by something, but it didn't sound like Snape.

"All right—all right—" he heard Quirrell sob.

Then Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom, straightening his turban. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cr. He strode out of sight; Harry didn't think Quirrell had even noticed him. He waited until Quirrell's footsteps and disappeared, then peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end.

Harry decided not to meddle with it. Instead, he went to his dad.

…

"Are you sure about this?" James asked for the third time.

"Yes, dad," Harry said. "Someone was threatening Quirrell for information."

James sighed. "Thanks for telling me this Harry. I'll bring the news to Dumbledore. Maybe with his help, we can convince Quirrell to take some time off for the remainder of the year."

"Thanks dad." Harry said.

"Oh, and Harry, before you go, you should know that you, Hermione Neville and Ron will be serving your detention eleven o'clock tomorrow night with Hagrid," James said, "Since the reason for your punishment is for Hagrid, I figured it's only right you serve your punishment by helping him with something."

Harry nodded and left the room.

…

"You told your dad!" Ron's mouth gapped open.

"Only about someone threatening Quirrell," Harry said, "I figured dad will already figure it was about the Sorcerer's Stone me bringing it up."

"Good idea," Hermione agreed.

"Are you sure it's not Snape," Ron said.

"Yes, I'm sure," Harry said.

"But Snape was threatening Quirrell at the forest," Neville said.

"I might have misunderstood them," Harry admitted. "Don't forget, I only heard part of their conversation."

"Either way, I'm glad you went to your dad," Hermione said. "Now that we know we're not going up against a teacher's words, it probably was easier for Professor Potter to believe us."

"Great, so that just leave us detention and the exams to worry about," Ron mumbled.

…

The next night they left the common room and went down to the Entrance Hall where Filch was waiting.

"Where's Malfoy?" Harry asked. "I would have thought he serve one of his detention time with us."

"Unfortunately for you, your daddy arranged to have the young Malfoy serve detention with him," Filch said. "Now, follow me."

Lighting a lamp, Filch lead them outside.

"I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rules by spreading rumors after tonight, won't you?" he said, leering at them. "Oh yes… hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me… It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out… hang by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keeping them well-oiled in case they're needed… Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."

Harry tried hard not to roll his eyes. The only time the school use such punishment was when an ancestor of Sirius: Phineas Black—was headmaster and kept things in track with fear. There were even rumors that he allowed dark magical objects be used (they were only rumors though as no Ministry would allow that). But still, because of Phineas' actions, when his successor became Headmaster, any form of punishment involving student cruelty and any dark magical item was banned.

Still, that doesn't stop those like Filch to bring up Phineas' way of punishment as an excuse to scare any student he's left to escort or watch over during their detention.

They marched off across the dark grounds as the moon was bright and full. Ahead, Harry could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard a distant shout.

"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want to get started."

Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, with Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.

"About time," he said. I been waiting for half an hour already? All right, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville?"

"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," said Filch coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all."

"That's why your late, isn't it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Been lecturing them, eh? Not your place to do that. You've done your bit, I'll take over from here."

I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them after a night in the Forest," he added nastily, and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.

"We're going to the Forbidden Forrest?" Harry asked.

"That's right," Hagrid said. "Don't worry, I pass this with Dumbledore. So tonight's detention is legit. Just do what I say and you should make it out by morning in one piece. Now follow me."

He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest.

"Look there," said Hagrid. "See that stuff shinning on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there that been hurt badly by something. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday."

"Then it's not werewolf attack," Harry said, "There wasn't a full moon Wednesday."

"Correct," Hagrid responded. "Our job is to find the poor unicorn and if have too, take it out of it's misery. We're gonna split into two parties and follow the trail in different directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've been staggering around since last night at least. I'll take Hermione and Ron one way; Harry, Neville, you'll take Fang and go the other. Now if any of us finds a unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get your wands out and practice now—that's it—and if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, and we'll all come and find you—so be careful—let's go."

…

Hagrid Ron and Hermione followed the trail of silver-blue blood to a stream.

"Ron, is one of Harry's uncles a werewolf?" Hermione asked.

Ron hesitated. "Why do you ask?"

"Come on Ron, even I can tell Harry knows something," Hermione said. "He barely pays attention in Defense Against the Dark Arts when it comes to werewolves, and yet he gets good scores on anything involving them. Not to mention Harry brought up how one of his uncles has a monthly condition."

Ron sighed. "You didn't hear this from me, but his Uncle Remus Lupin—a.k.a. Uncle Moony, is a werewolf. From what Harry's dad told us, he been one since he was bitten as a child. But Harry's dad is one of few percentage of people who don't judge werewolves by their curse, and he trust Remus enough to look after Harry."

Hermione nodded.

"GET BEHIND THAT TREE!" Hagrid seized Hermione and Ron and hoisted them off the path behind a towering oak. He pulled out an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby; it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. Hagrid was squinting up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away.

"I knew it," he murmured. "There's something in here that shouldn't be. Right, follow me, but careful, now."

They walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in the clearing ahead, something moved. "Who's there?" Hagrid called. "Showed yourself—I'm armed!"

And into the clearing came a man-horse hybrid thing. From the waist up it was a man with red hair and beard. But from the waiste down was a body of a horse with a gleaming chestnut body and a long reddish tail. Hermione's jaw dropped.

"Oh, it's you, Ronan," said Hagrid in relief. "How are you?"

He walked forward and shook the centaur's hand.

"Good evening to you, Hagrid," said Ronan in a deep sorrow voice. "Were you going to shoot me?"

"Can't be too careful, Ronan," said Hagrid, patting his crossbow. "There's something bad loose in the forest. This is Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, by the way. Students up at the school. And this is Ronan, you two. He's a centaur."

"We noticed," said Hermione faintly.

"Good evening," said Ronan. "Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at that school?"

"Hard not too," Ron said. "Hermione here makes sure two of our friends and me study hard."

"Well, that's good." Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. "Mars is bright tonight."

"Yeah," said Hagrid, glancing up, too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run into you, Ronan, because there's a uncorn that been hurt—you seen anything?"

Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward and sighed again.

"Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it has been ages past, so it is now."'

"Yeah," said Hagrid, "but have you seen anything, Ronan? Anything unusual?"

"Mars is bright tonight," Ronan repeated, while Hagrid watched him impatiently. "Unusually bright."

"Yeah, but I was meaning anything unusual a bit nearer home," said Hagrid. "So you haven't noticed anything strange?"

Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he said, the forest hides many secrets."

A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his crossbow again, but it was only a second centaur, a black hair and bodied and wilder-looking centaur.

"Hello, Bane," said Hagrid. "All right?"

"Good evening, Hagrid, I hope you are well?"

"Well enough. Look, I've just been asking Ronan, you seen anything odd in here lately? There's a unicorn that been injured—would you know anything about it?"

Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward.

"Mars is bright tonight," he said simply.

"We've heard," said Hagrid grumpily. "Well, if either of you do see anything, let me know, won't you? We'll be off, then."

Ron and Hermione followed him out of the clearing, staring over their shoulders at Ronan and Bane until the trees blocked their view.

"Never," said Hagrid irritably, "try and get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anything closer than the moon."

"Are there many of _them_ in here?" asked Hermione.

"Oh, a fair few… Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turning up if ever I want a word. They're deep, mind, centaurs… They know thing… just don't let on much."

"Maybe Harry and Neville are having better luck," Ron said.

…

Harry and Neville weren't having any better luck, even with Fang, but that didn't stop them from passing time by guessing what could cause a unicorn to get hurt since a werewolf was out

"Maybe a vampire," Neville said.

"Why would a vampire go after a unicorn?" Harry asked. "What about a giant spider?"

"We better hope not for Ron's sake," Neville said. "Giant snake?"

"I doubt it, unless there's one faster than a werewolf," Harry said.

Just then Neville tripped over something and Harry had to catch him.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, but what did I trip over?" Neville asked.

They looked down and saw it was the unicorn they were looking for—only it was dead. It's long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly white on the dark leaves.

"We better send a spark." Harry took out his wand. But before he could a pain like he'd never felt before pierced his head; as if his scar was on fire.

"Aaaah!" Harry groaned.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Neville asked.

Just as Neville asked that, a hooded figure came out of the shadows of the trees and came at them.

"S-Stand back!" Neville raised his wand, although he had no idea what spell to use. Fang didn't help as he yipped and ran away like a coward.

Just then, something jumped clean over Harry and Nevile, charging at the figure.

The pain in Harry's head was so bad he fell to his knees. It took a minute or two to pass. When he looked up, the figure was gone, and a centaur with white-blond hair and a palomino body.

"Are you two all right?" the centaur asked.

"Yes—thank you!" Neville said.

"What was that?" Harry asked.

The centaur didn't answer as he was looking at Harry with his blue eyes—namely on the scar that stood out on Harry's forehead.

"You are the Potter boy," he said. "You and your friend better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time—especially for you. Can you two ride? It will be quicker this way."

"Sure, thanks," Neville said. "My name is Neville Longbottom."

"And mine is Firenze," said the centaur as he lowered himself for Harry and Neville to clamber on his back.

There was a suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. The centaurs that were with Hagrid Hermione and Ron—Ronan and Bane—came bursting through their trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty.

"Firenze!" Bane thundered. "What are you doing? You have two humans on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"

"Do you realize who this boy is?" said Firenze. "This is the Potter boy. The quicker he leaves this forest, the better."

"What have you been telling him?" growled Bane. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movement of the planets?"

Ronan pawed the ground nervously. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best," he said in his gloomy voice.

Bane kicked his back legs in anger.

"For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!"

Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger, forcing Harry to grab onto his shoulders and Neville to hold onto him to stay on.

"Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at Bane. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must."

And Firenze whisked around; with Harry and Neville clutching on as best as they could, as they plunged into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them."

"What was that thing you saved us from?" Harry asked.

"And why was the other centaurs angry?" Neville added.

Firenze slowed to a walk, warning the two boys to keep their heads bowed in case of low-hanging branches, but did not answer their question. They made their way through the trees in silence for so long that Harry thought Firenze didn't want to talk to him anymore. They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped.

"Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is use for?"

"Not really," Harry said, "I do know slaying a unicorn for anything other than ending its suffering is illegal by the Ministry."

"That's because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," said Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a curse life, from the moment the blood touches your lip. Most don't dare to drink it unless they plan to live long enough to dink something that will bring you back to full strength and power—something that will mean you can never die."

"The sorcerer's stone," Harry said.

"But who would risk drinking unicorn blood long enough to live forever?" Neville asked.

"Ah, that is a good question, Neville Longbottom. Who would be already at the brink of death, for so long take such a risk?"

Suddenly Harry remembered the green flash and the sinister laughter.

"Vol—"

"Harry! Neville! Are you all right?"

Hermione and Ron was running toward them down the path, Hagrid and Bane behind them.

"We're fine," Neville said, which was a good thing as Harry was too stunned to respond. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing."

Firenze lowered himself so Neville and Harry could get off. Neville lead Hagrid to the unicorn.

"This is where I leave you," Firenze told Harry. "You are safe now, and I wish you luck. The plants have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times."

He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving Harry behind them.

…

Harry didn't speak of what happened until they were back in the Gryffindor Common Room. When he did speak, he told them what he knew.

When he was done, Ron Neville and Hermione were pale with fright.

"Harry, if you're right, then we should be fine," Hermione said. "Don't forget, Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Harry said. "Still, I can't help but shake this feeling something big is about to happen."

"You and me both," Neville said. "Seeing that unicorn lying there—" Neville shivered at the thought.

The sky had turned light before they stopped talking. They went to bed exhausted, their throats sore. Little did they know, their troubles are only starting to get worse.


	16. Journey to the Sorcerer's Stone

**A/N:** I'm going to make this clear. I don't own the Harry Potter series or it's characters. That right goes to JK Rowling

* * *

 **Journey to the Sorcerer's Stone**

It turned out Hermione's persistence to study for the exams came in handy when the exams did come, because without it, Harry would of felt that he rather fight Voldemort than go through them.

In the days following since Detention, Harry and his friends made sure to check the three headed dog in the third floor corridor, to make sure it was still alive.

As for Quirrell, he agreed to only an in-school vacation, as he didn't feel any safer anywhere else. But with exams coming up, Dumbledore assigned the position to James for exams from first years third year, and Snape handle fourth and sixth years since OWLs and NEWTs exam takers had their own set of examiners for their exams.

The students had to take the written exams in a large sweltering hot classroom with special exam approved anti-cheating bewitched quills.

Then they were called individually to do the practical exam in front of a professor, where they must perform a certain spell depending on the class. Professor Flitwick had his class try to make a pineapple tap-dance across his desk. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox—points given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers. Snape made many of his students nervous by breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetful potion.

Harry would have done better on each exam if his scar didn't cause stabbing pain on his forehead. It been bothering him since his trip to the Forbidden Forest. After a day of exams, Harry would end up staying in his dad's living quarters using a simple muggle remedy James picked up from Lilly during their time together of placing a cool towel on Harry's forehead. Amazing enough it seemed to be the only thing that eases the pain from Harry's scar.

Still, it got to the point James had to get approval from McGonagall _and_ Dumbledore to let Harry stay with him during exam week, so Harry can get some peace and quiet from the loud Gryffindor Common Room.

And if the pain from his scar wasn't bad enough, the dreams about the night Lilly died started again. Only this time, instead of a sinister laugh, Harry saw the hooded figure standing over him.

Their last exam was History of Magic, which mostly consist of an hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented self-stirring cauldrons and they'd be free until the exam results.

"That was far easier than I thought it would be," said Hermione as they joined the crowds flocking out onto sunny grounds. "I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager. How about we go over our exam papers before we leave."

"No," Ron and Neville said.

Harry was only half listening as he rubbed his forehead as his scar been hurting.

"Your scar is hurting again, isn't it?" Neville asked.

Harry nodded. "And I can't shake this feeling it's warning me of something."

"Warning about what?" Ron asked.

"I don't know. But it's been hurting since the encounter in the Forbidden Forest," Harry said before thinking about something. "Of course, Norbert…"

"What about the dragon? He's in Romania," Ron said.

"Yeah, but how did Hagrid end up with Norbert in the first place," Harry said. "Come on!"

…

Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.

"Hello," he said smiling. Finished your exams? Got time for a drink?"

"Yes, please," said Ron, but Harry cut him off.

"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. That night you won Norbert—what did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"

"Don't know," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn't take his cloak off. It's not that unusual in a place like Hog's Head—that's one of the pubs down in the village. Might have been a dragon dealer, for all I know. I never even saw his face. He kept his hood up."

"Did he asked anything about Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

"Yeah… he asked what I did, and I told him I was gamekeeper here… He asked a bit about the sort of creatures I looked after… so I told him," Hagrid said. "He even seem interest when I told him I always wanted a dragon, and after a few drinks he offered me a dragon's egg as a wager."

"He just wager a dragon's egg," Harry said.

"Well, not at first. He had to be sure I could handle it. He didn't want it to go to any old home. So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy…"

"Fluffy?" Harry asked.

"Another dog I owned," Hagrid lied.

 _The three headed dog,_ Harry thought before asking "And did he—did he seemed interested in Fluffy?"

"Well—yeah—how many three-headed dogs do you meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece of cake if you know how to calm him down, just play him a bit of music and he'll go straight to sleep—"

Hagrid suddenly looked horrified. "I shouldn't tell you that!"

"Don't worry, we won't use it to get into trouble," Harry promised before they left.

"Hey where are you four going."

They didn't respond, nor talk to each other until they reached the entrance hall.

"We've got to go to Dumbledore," said Harry. "Whoever that stranger is, I bet you they're working for Voldemort."

"But where is Dumbledore's office?" Hermione asked.

"This way," Harry said.

"How do you—wait don't tell me—one of the perks of visiting your dad?" Hermione asked.

"Yep!"

Harry haven't visited Dumbledore's office for years, but Harry knew where to find it. They found a statue of a gryphon standing in a built in pedestal.

"Chocolate Frog!"

Nothing.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Ron asked.

"The password to Dumbledore's office is always one of Dumbledore's favorite sweets," Harry said. "Licorice Wands!"

Nothing.

"Try Berry Botts." Neville said.

"That won't work. He doesn't like those," Harry said. "Cauldron Cakes."

Nothing.

"Harry, we stand here forever trying to solve the mystery password," Hermione said.

"What are you four doing?"

They turned to see Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.

"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," said Harry. "I thought he would like to know my scar been feeling better, and Ron Hermione and Neville tagged along since they never saw the Headmaster's office before."

Professor McGonagall seemed to ease at the news. "Well, that's good to hear. Sadly Professor Dumbledore isn't here. He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."

Harry's heart sank. "Oh, I see."

"If it makes you feel better, I be sure to tell Dumbledore the good news for you," Professor McGonagall said.

"Thank you, ma'am." Harry and his friends left.

"Your scar didn't stop hurting, did it?" Ron asked.

"No, but I need an excuse to see Dumbledore," Harry said. "Come on."

"Where are we going now?" Neville asked.

"If Dumbledore isn't here to help us, we need to talk to my dad!" Harry said.

Harry headed to the teacher's living quarters to a locked door marked Potter. Normally it was open incase students need to visit, but if James wasn't there he locked it. In this case, it made Harry worried since there was no reason for the door to be lock. Fortunately, the door unlocks by password, which Harry knows. "Mischief Manage!"

There was a click sound and Harry opened the door.

Sure enough, the quarters was empty. There was a letter posted on the wall. Harry took it and read:

 _Harry,_

 _There was an emergency at home where I had to leave. Don't worry, it's nothing too worry about, and I should be back by tomorrow. Stay good, and be careful._

 _Dad_

"This can't be a coincidence." Harry said. "Dad being called away the same day Dumbledore is gone… Voldemort has to be behind this. He must be planning to get what he needs tonight."

"But what can we do?" Hermione asked.

"We intervene, tonight," Harry said.

"But Harry, we don't know what else is protecting the stone," Hermione said, "For all we know Fluffy might not be the only thing that protects the stone."

"I agree," Harry said. "Knowing Dumbledore, he might have asked his most trusted employees to help with it: the head of houses—Flitwick, McGonagall, Sprout, and I would guess Snape. We also know Quirrell had set something up, and I wouldn't be surprise Dumbledore added the last obstacle to the stone himself."

"So other than Dumbledore, the trials would have something involve, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and clever magic," Ron said. "I'm getting a headache just thinking of it."

"Pack everything we might need, we're leaving tonight," Harry said.

That night after dinner Harry packed everything he needed: his wand and holster, his communication Mirror incase he needs to contact his dad, the magical knife Sirius gave him that unlocks almost any lock, the flute Hagrid had given him, and of course, his cloak of invisibility. Good thing James gave him back the cloak after he escorted Harry and Hermione back to the Gryffindor Common Room the night Tonks and three friends took Norbert to Romania where Charlie was waiting for the Dragon.

"Are you sure your cloak can cover all of us?" Hermione asked.

"Certain," Harry said. "Dad said the cloak can cover up to three to four third years."

They put on the cloak and left together.

Everything went well until they spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top of the first set of steps. How they manage to get around Mrs. Norris without alerting her was a miracle.

Then when they thought they were in the clear, Peeves was bobbing halfway up the staircase to the third floor—loosening the carpet so that people would trip.

"Who's there?" he said suddenly as they climbed toward him.

Harry put up his best hoarse whisper. "Peeves, what have I told you about bothering me while I'm floating invisibly. Do you want to find out the hard way how I got the name the Bloody Baron."

Peevpes almost fell out of the air in shock. He caught himself in times and hovered about a foot off the stairs.

"So sorry, our bloodiness, Mr. Baron sir," he said greasily. "My mistake, my mistake. Please forgive Peevsie his little joke, sir."

"Get out of my sight," croaked Harry. "I don't want to see you here for the rest of the night."

"Yes sir!" Peeves scooted off.

Once Peeves was off, Ron whispered, "Brilliant, Harry!"

Harry grinned. "I been wanting to do that since Peeves first pranked me."

"That's great and all, but we should keep going," Hermione said.

"Right," they agreed.

A few seconds later, they were outside the third floor corridor-and the door was already ajar."

"Well, there you are," said Harry quietly. "Someone must have already got pass Fluffy."

He then turned to his friends while staying under the cloak. "If you three want to go back, I won't blame you. You can even take the Cloak since I won't be needing it now."

"I'm going with you," said Neville.

"Same here," said Ron.

"We won't leave you behind," Hermione said.

Harry nodded and pushed the door open.

As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. Inside was a monstrous dog that filled most of the room. All three noses were at their direction even though it couldn't see them through the cloak.

"What's that at its feet?" Hermione whispered.

"Looks like a Harp," said Ron. "The intruder must have left it there."

"It must wake up the moment you stop playing," said Neville. "Look! There's a trap door underneath his foot. That must lead to the next obstacle."

"Then it's a good thing I came prepared." Harry took out the flute and put it to his lips and blew. It wasn't really a tune, but from the first note, the beast's eyes began to droop. Harry remembered the flute lessons Hagrid gave him as a kid during his visits and started playing one of the songs he remembers. Fluffy started to tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.

They slowly crept to the trap door.

Ron slipped out of the cloak in order to open the trap door. "I can't see anything," Ron said. "Not even a way to climb down. I guess we have to drop down."

"I'll go first," Neville offered. "If you don't hear from me, get help."

Neville jumped down. At first they heard nothing. Then they heard a FLUMP—as if Neville landed on something soft.

"What on earth!" they heard Neville cried. "Help!"

Harry Ron and Hermione froze at their friend's cry.

"We got to go!" Ron said.

He jumped through then Hermione. Harry quickly put away the flute and jumped before.

It was a long drop but the landing was soft as they landed on plants.

"Neville where are you?" Ron asked.

"Over here!"

They looked to see Neville tangled in plants. They tried to move toward him, only to find that the plants had already started snaking around their ankles.

"Hermione, quick! This is Devil's Snare!" Neville yelled. "We need fire!"

"Right!" Hermione drew out her wand waved it, and muttered something, and sent a jet of the same blue flames she used to keep them warm during the winter. In a matter of seconds, they were all free from the roots.

"Good call, Neville," Harry said.

Neville nodded. "Hermione isn't the only one who can get good marks in Herbology."

Then he picked up his wand that was on the ground.

"Yeah, but next time, keep a better grip on your wand," Hermione told Neville.

"So where now?" Ron asked.

"This way." Harry pointed down a stone passage way, which was the only way forward.

All they could hear apart from their footsteps as the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and Harry was reminded of Gringotts.

"Do you guys hear something?" Ron whispered.

Harry listened. He heard a soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.

"It sounds like wings," Harry said.

"There's light ahead—we can see what's moving," said Hermione.

"Yeah, sure," Neville agreed.

They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lt chamber, it's ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jeweled winged keys of different shape and sizes flying around. At the center of the room was a broom stick waiting to be used. And on the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy door.

They manage to get to the other side of the room without an attack by the keys.

 _"Alohamora!"_ Hermione waved her wand at the door but nothing happened.

"I guess we have to catch the key," Ron said.

"Hold on, I want to try something first," Harry said as he draw his knife.

"What is that?" Hermione asked.

"An enchanted knife. It's capable of unlocking locks that not even the Alohamora can't unlock," Harry said, "My uncle Padfoot gave it to me for Christmas but this is the first time I'm using it."

Harry jabbed his knife at the key hole and twisted. Sure enough they heard a click and the door opened.

"Blimey Harry, your uncles sure give the best gifts," Ron said.

"I know," Harry said, "Let's go."

…

The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight.

They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces who had no faces.

"Now what we do?" Neville asked.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room."

Behind the white pieces they could see another door.

"How?" said Hermione nervously.

"I think," said Ron, "We're going to have to be chessmen."

"Well what should we do?" Harry asked.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"Come on, Ron, you and I both know you're better at playing wizard chess than any of us," Harry said.

"Okay, give me a minute." Ron started thinking carefully. "Okay, Harry, you'll be the king. Neville, take the place of that bishop and Hermione, you'll be one of the castles. I'll take place of the knight."

"Wait why am I the king?" Harry asked.

"There's a chance some of us will be hurt playing in this game and if that happens, it's important one person makes it through," Ron said, "And let's face it, Harry, with your mother's protection spell, you have a better chance surviving against Voldemort a second time than the rest of us."

Harry agreed reluctantly.

At Ron's words, a black knight, castle, and bishop piece moved.

"I guess we take the black side," Neville said.

Harry walked up to the king piece who seemed to be waiting for him. The king piece took off his crown and placed it on Harry's head before leaving the board. Harry remembered from playing wizard chess that when the king is checkmate, instead of being knocked out, the king piece would drop his crown. Normally this made Harry feel better, but it actually made Harry feel worse as it meant his friends were in greater danger than him.

"White always plays first in chess," said Ron, peering across the board. "Yes… look…"

A white pawn had moved forward two squares.

Ron started to direct the black pieces, which moved wherever he sent them.

"Neville—move diagonally four squares to the right."

After Neville did that, the white queen smashed their knight to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, face down.

"Had to let that happen," said Ron, looking shaken. "Hermione, take the bishop."

Hermione took a shaky breath and did what she was told.

Harry was forced to stay put and watch their men be taken. Harry didn't have much of a choice since the King normally doesn't move unless facing check.

One time he came close to being checked, but Harry was able to take a white pawn to avoid it.

"We're nearly there," Ron muttered suddenly. "Let me think—let me think…"

The white queen turned her blank face toward him.

"Yes…" said Ron softly. "it's the only way…"

"Ron, no!" Harry responded.

"What?" Neville hollered.

"Ron is sacrificing himself to win the game," Harry said.

"He can't!" Hermione said.

"I have to!" Ron snapped. "Neville, when the Queen takes me, use the moment to take the king."

Before anyone could protest, Ron stepped forward and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and crash the floor. Hermione screamed but stayed on her square as the white queen dragged Ron to oneside.

Neville stood frozen in place.

"Neville! You need to move!" Harry said. "Three squared to the left."

Neville took his time, but he did indeed do what Harry told him.

The white king took off his crown and threw it at Neville's feet, indicating that they have won.

"Neville stay with Ron. Make sure he's okay," Harry said. "Hermione come with me. I might need your brains for the final trials."

Hermione and Neville nodded as Harry and Hermione headed off toward the door at the other end of the room.

"Devil's Snare was Sprout's, the keys must have been Flitwick's doing, McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive," Hermione recounted. "It looks like you were right about the Head of Houses helping Dumbledore protect the stone."

Harry nodded, "That just leaves Quirrell, Snape, and Dumbledore's protections."

They reached another door and opened it, ready to face whatever was on the other side.

What they weren't ready for was a disgusting smell that filled their nose when the door was open. Harry and Hermione had to pull their robes up over their noses. Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on his head.

"For once I'm glad this one was already tackled," Harry said. "Come on."

They pulled open the next door, both of them hardly daring to look at what came next—but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.

"Potions—this must be Snape's doing," Harry said.

They stepped over the threshold, and immediately purple flames sprang up behind them in the doorway. At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. Harry and Hermione were trapped.

"Look!" Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles and read out loud:

 _Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind  
Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,  
One among us seven will let you move ahead,  
Another will transport the drinker back instead,  
Two among our number hold only nettle wine,  
Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.  
Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,  
To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:  
First, however slyly the poison tries to hide  
You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;  
Second, different are those who stand at either end,  
But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;  
Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,  
Neither dwarf or giant hold death in their insides;  
Fourth, the second left and the second on the right  
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight._

"It's logic," Hermione said. "A puzzle with no magic. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever."

"Sounds like something Snape would do," Harry said. "So which one is what we need?"

"Give me a minute."

Hermione read the paper to herself several times before walking up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last she clapped her hands.

"Got it," she said. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire—toward the stone."

Harry looked at the tiny bottle.

"There's only enough there for one of us," he said. "Which one will get you through the purple flames?"

Hermione pointed at a round bottle at the right end of the line.

Harry took out the communication mirror and handed it to her. "This is a magical mirror that works like a muggle's walkie-talkie—but more face to face. My dad has the other mirror. I want you to drink the potion that will get you through the purple flames. Find Neville and Ron, contact my dad, and then use the brooms from the key room to get out of the trap door past Fluffy. Meet up with him and get him to me. I'll go through the black flames and deal with whoever is at the otherside."

"But Harry—what if You-Know-Who is back there?" Hermione asked.

"When I was little, missing my mum, my dad would calm me down by saying that even though she's dead, she's still watching over us," Harry said, "If it's true, maybe she can protect me from Voldemort once more."

Hermione's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at Harry and threw her arms around him in a hug.

 _"Hermione!"_

"Harry—you're a great wizard, you know," Hermione said, "You're cunning, loyal, brave, and I hate to admit it, wise. You have all the good traits of all the houses of Hogwarts and—oh Harry—be careful!"

"I will," Harry said. "You should rink first. The sooner you Ron and Neville can meet up with my dad, the better."

"Okay." Hermione took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shudder. "It's like ice."

"Quick, go, before it wears off."

"Good luck—take care—"

"GO!"

Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire.

Harry took a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. He drank the little bottle in one gulp.

It was indeed as though ice was flooding his body. He put the bottle down.

"Okay, Voldemort, time for us to meet once more," Harry muttered as he walked through the black flames.

To his amazement the black flames didn't hurt him as it licked his body. At first he couldn't see anything but dark fire. But then he reached the other side in the last chamber.

Sadly, someone was already there, and it wasn't Voldemort.


	17. Quirrell is not What He Seems

**A/N:** I'm going to make this clear. I don't own the Harry Potter series or it's characters. That right goes to JK Rowling

* * *

 **Quirrell is not What He Seems**

James is going to strangle whoever tricked him this time.

After the exams, James got a letter from Remus that he was needed, but when James got there, he found out that he been hoaxed again.

James was about to go back to Hogwarts when he heard Hermione yelling "Professor Potter!" from his pocket.

James took out the communication mirror and saw Hermione on it.

"Hermione, what's wrong? Where's Harry?" James asked.

"Harry is in trouble," Hermione said. "We need you to get back to Hogwarts, quick!"

James heart sunk when he heard that. "I'm on my way."

James took out his wand and with a flick, he disappeared in a crack sound that resembles a car backfiring.

…

Meanwhile, Harry was shock to find out that he was facing no other than Professor Quirrell.

 _"You!"_ gasped Harry.

Quirrell smiled without twitching at all.

"Me," he said calmly. "I wonder whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter."

"You're working for Voldemort?" Harry asked.

"That's right," Quirrell said, "The perfect act, if I say so. No one expected, p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell. Well, no one but your nosy father and Professor Snape. But now that your father is out of the way, and Snape unaware where you are, nothing will stop me from killing you tonight."

Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped around Harry.

"You're as annoying as your father, Potter. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone. It was bad enough your father and Professor Snape miraculously worked together to evade the dog."

"So you let the troll in?" Harry asked.

"Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls—you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, my troll failed to beat you to death. Now wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror."

Harry looked at the mirror and recognized it immediately as the Mirror of Erised.

"This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this… but he's in London… I'll be far away by time he gets back. Let's see—I see the stone… I'm presenting it to my master… but where is it?"

"Where's Voldemort, Quirrell?" Harry asked.

"You'll see him soon, Potter. My master would want to kill you personally."

"How did you find him?" Harry asked.

"I met him when I traveled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it."

Quirrell cursed under his breath. "I don't understand… is the Stone _inside_ the mirror? Should I break it?" What does it do? How does it work? Help me, master!"

 _Why would Dumbledore use the Mirror of Erised to protect the stone?_ Harry thought. _It only shows one's greatest desire. It doesn't summon something—unless charmed too_.

Just as Harry thought that, a voice answered to Quirrell's request, that seem to come from Quirrell himself.

"Use the boy… Use the boy…"

Quirrell round on Harry.

"Yes—Potter—come here."

He clapped his hands once, and the ropes fell off Harry's body.

"Come here," Quirrell repeated. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see."

 _Right now I want to keep the stone away from Quirrell. I want to protect my friends and family from Voldemort by keeping him from getting the stone,_ Harry thought.

Quirrell moved close behind him. Harry breathed in the funny smell that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban. He closed his eyes, stepped in front of the mirror, focused on the stone, and open them again.

He saw his reflection, pale and scared-looking at first. But a moment later, the reflection smiled at him. But he wasn't alone. Behind him was his mother: Lilly. She smiled at Harry and reached in her pocket and pulled out a blood red stone. She handed it to Harry's reflection, who took it, winked at Harry, and put it back in it's pocket. As it did, Harry felt something heavy drop into his real pocket. Somehow—incredibly— _he'd gotten the Stone_.

Lilly smiled at Harry proudly and nodded. It was as if the Mirror combined Harry's deepish wish to see his mother and gain the stone.

"Well?" said Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?"

Harry straightened up.

"I see my mum," Harry said. "She has her arms wrapped around me in a hug. She looks rather proud of the kind of wizard I have become."

Quirrell cursed again.

"Get out of the way," he said.

Harry did as he told, making sure the Stone was in his pocket.

But Harry didn't have time to get out of there as a high voice spoke.

"He lies… he lies…"

"Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell me the truth! What did you see?"

The high voice spoke again.

"Let me speak to him… face-to-face…"

"Master, you are not strong enough!"

"I have enough strength for this…"

Harry found himself scared stiff as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrapped his turban. When it fell off, he turned slowly on the spot.

Harry would have screamed if he could. Where there should have been the back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.

"Harry Potter…" it whispered. "See what I have become. Mere shadow and vapor… I have form only when I can share another's body… but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds… Unicorn blood has strengthen me, these past weeks… you saw the results of it in the forest… and once I have the Elixer of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own… Now… why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket."

Harry looked at the mirror, and remembered what he told Hermione about his mother watching over him.

 _Your mother would be proud of you,_ James had told him.

"No!" Harry took out his wand from its hoster.

"Brave, just like your mother," Voldemort said. "I always value bravery. That's why I let Wormtail lore your father out of the house, and I would have spared your mother too, but she wouldn't let me kill you. She died protecting you to the end. Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain."

"Never!" Harry said. "I don't believe you!"

Harry bolted for the door, but Voldemort screamed "SEIZE HIM!" and the next second, Harry felt Quirrell's hand close on his wrist. At once, a needle-sharp pain seared across Harry's scar his head felt as though it was about to split in two. But before Harry could respond, Quirrell surprisingly let him go. The pain in his head lessened. Harry looked around to see Quirrell hunched in pain, looking at his fingers—they were blistering before his eyes.

Harry remember asking his dad how he survived while his mum died.

 _Your mother died protecting you, Harry. That's what stopped Voldemort,_ James said. _She loved you enough that her magic kept you safe from the killing curse._

Harry looked at the Mirror of Erised and almost imagine his mother smiling at him from the mirror, with her arms wrapped around Harry's refection.

 _I still have my mum's protection,_ Harry thought.

"Seize him! SEIZE HIM!" shrieked Voldemort again.

But Quirrell didn't have a chance to get up as Harry took out his wand. _"Petrificus Totalus!"_

Harry waved his wand at Quirrell as he got up. Quirell's arms snapped to his sides and his legs sprang together. His whole body riggido and he fell forward onto his face.

Voldemort screamed in anger, but Harry wasn't done yet.

Harry quickly sprang forward and placed his left hand on Voldemort's face. Voldemort's scream changed from anger to pain as blisters formed around his face.

At the same time Harry's scar was almost blinding him with pain, but Harry didn't stop. Not even when he heard other voices shouting, "Harry! Harry!"

Just then, there was a rush of cold air that seemed to come straight from the back of Quirrell's head, knocking Harry over and out cold.

* * *

 **A/N:** Although the book ended on the same chapter Quirrell was defeated, I decided to keep what happened after Quirrell was defeated and the rest of the story until the next chapter.


	18. End of Year Celebration

**A/N:** I'm going to make this clear. I don't own the Harry Potter series or it's characters. That right goes to JK Rowling

* * *

 **End of Year Celebration**

When Harry woke up, he felt a familiar cold cloth on his forehead. When he tried to raise his arms, only to find they were heavy.

Harry blinked, and saw his father looking over him with a smile on his face.

"Dad," Harry said.

"Hey kiddo," James said.

Memories from last night flood into Harry's head and he shot up. "The Stone…"

"Whoa, it's okay," James said. "The Stone is safe."

"But Professor Quirrell! He's after the Stone!" Harry said.

"Quirrell isn't a threat anymore," James said.

"H-He been captured?" Harry asked.

"Not exactly…"

Harry's heart sank. "He's dead. I killed him."

"Yes, and no," James said. "Quirrell is dead, but you didn't kill him. Immobilize him with an impressive full body bind curse, yes."

"But the Blisters—I caused it—"

"But it didn't kill him." James sighed. "His death was brought onto him when he became Voldemort's vessel. Voldemort had no tension to keep Quirrell alive. He was just using Quirrell to get what he wants, knowing that when his soul leaves Quirrell's body, Quirrell died. Even if you didn't do what you did, there was no way of saving Quirrell."

Harry swallowed and looked around. He realized he was in the hospital wing. He was lying in a bed with white linen sheets and next to him was a table piled high with what looked like half the candy shop.

"Tokens from your friends and fans," James said noticing Harry's expression. "Somehow the word of your battle against Voldemort got around the whole school. Although I wish Fred and George didn't go into such a length to try to send you a toilet seat."

"Are you mad?" Harry asked.

James looked at Harry. "What do you mean?"

"I kept looking into the Sorcerer's Stone even when you advised against it," Harry said, "I led my friends to danger when we found out you and Dumbledore was missing instead of waiting for you to come back."

James sighed. "I'll admit, I was upset at first when Hermione told me what you four have done. But, no, Harry. I'm not mad. I'm actually proud of you."

Harry blinked. "You are."

James nodded. "If you haven't done what you did, Quirrell would have found a way to get the Stone, and Voldemort would have come back and everything your mother did to protect you would have been for nothing in the end. Not only that, but by going after an unknown enemy, you saved the whole school from a possible attack that would have probably followed with Voldemort's return. You and your friends are heroes, Harry."

"What about the stone?" Harry asked.

"I'll take it from here, James."

They looked to see Dumbledore entering the room.

"Professor Dumbledore," Harry said trying to sit up.

"Stay, Harry. Madam Pomphrey would have my head if you try to get up on my account," Dumbledore said. "I thought I come and check up on the school's hero."

"I'll give you some time to talk to him," James told Harry before leaving the room, but not before bowing with respect to Dumbledore as he walked up to Harry's stack of candy.

"Ah! Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean. May I?" Dumbledore picked up the box.

"I thought you don't like that stuff," Harry said.

"Oh, I do. Ever since in my youth when I came across a vomit-flavor one. But every once in a while I try for a nice toffee flavor," Dumbledore said before popping a golden brown bean in his mouth. Then he choked and said, "Alas! Ear wax!"

"Professor, what happened to the stone?" Harry asked, "How did I get the Stone out of the Mirror? And why—"

"Why did you see your mother giving you the stone?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry nodded.

"Well to answer the second question, it was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something. You see, only one who wanted to _find_ the Stone—find it, but not use it—would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixer of Life. My brain surprises even me sometimes. As for your last question, I think it has to do with what you told Ms. Granger before she headed back."

Harry thought about. "You mean about my mum's protection."

Dumbledore nodded. "The Mirror of Elrise cannot be fool Harry Potter. You wanted to save the Sorcerer's Stone, but at the same time you hoped that the same protection that saved you as a baby saves you again, and thus the Mirror merely combined both of your desires."

"But my mum's protection did work," Harry said. "Quirrell couldn't touch me."

"Yes, and Voldemort failed to get what he wanted thanks to it," Dumbledore said.

"Professor, You-Know-Who—"

"You can call him Voldemort, Harr. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of name increase fear of the thing itself."

"Yes, sir. Well, Voldemort said the night he attack, he let someone name Wormtail send my dad on a wild goose chase," Harry said, "He also said he gave my mum a chance to escape alive. Is it true?"

"I don't know if Voldemort had intentions to keep anyone alive that night, Harry," Dumbledore said. "But if he did, I would think it create more questions than answers."

"What about the Stone?" Harry asked.

"Well, after hearing how four first years went all out to break many rules to save it, I talked to Nicolas Flamel and we agreed to destroy the Sorcerer's Stone," Dumbledore said.

"Destroyed" said Harry blankly. "Nicolas Flamel—"

"We agreed it was for the best," Dumbledore said. "Nicolas and his wife have enough Elixer stored to set their afairs in order, and they planned to go into a ver long, well deserve sleep. Now, if that's all, I better be off and let you sleep. Your dad will rejoin you later."

Harry nodded.

"Oh, and Harry before I go," Dumbledore said. "Nicolas Flamel sends his regards for the trouble he gave you, and wants to thank you for keeping the Stone safe."

…

The next visit that didn't include Harry's dad took some convincing. The head Nurse: Madam Pomfrey, was nice, but when it comes to a student's health she's very strict.

"Please!" Harry pleaded.

"No!"

"Come on, Pomfrey. They have a right to see him," James said, "I'll be right here making sure Harry doesn't overexert himself."

"Oh, very well," she said. "But no longer than fifteen minutes."

And so, she let Ron Hermione and Neville in.

"Harry!"

Hermione looked ready to hug Harry again, but she held herself in, which was a good thing, because his head was still very sour.

"Oh, Harry, we were sure you were going to—you had us all worried—"

"The whole school's talking about what happened down there," said Neville.

"What _really_ happened down there?" Ron asked.

Harry told them everything: Quirrell; the mirror the Stone; and Voldemort. Ron Neville and Hermione were a very good audience, although Hermione did scream with Harry told them what was _really_ under Quirrell's turban.

"So the Stone's gone?" said Ron finally.

"Yep!" Harry said. "So what happened to you three."

"Well, I got back all right," said Hermione. "Neville was trying to wake up Ron when I contact Professor Potter."

"I was sure surprised to find Hermione on the other end of the mirror," James said.

"Right, so we headed out using the brooms. We were about to meet up Professor Potter when we found Dumbledore at the entrance hall. Somehow he already knew and was waiting as well."

"By the way, Professor," Neville said. "How is it you got passed Fluffy?"

James pushed up his glasses. "A First Generation Maurders secret that I won't tell you until you're older."

"Okay," Ron said. "Listen Harry, you've got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are in—we lost first place."

"Don't tell me Slytherin somehow got the lead," Harry said.

"No, but Ravenclaw house caught up and bypass both Gryffindor and Slytherin House for the win when they steamrolled Gryffindor in the last Quidditch match you missed."

Harry shrugged. "Having Raven claw win is better than Slytherin House gaining it's seventh win in a row."

"Well, kids, it's been fifteen minutes. If you stay here any longer, I think Pomfrey will have what muggles called an aneurism," James joked.

Harry Ron Hermione and Neville laughed as they said their goodnights.

…

The next day, James manage to convince Pomfrey to let Harry join the feast, which wasn't easy since she insisted on final check up on Harry.

Hagrid had came in earlier blaming himself for everything that happened to Harry, but Harry had reassured him that it wasn't Hagrid's fault.

The good news was that James lifted Harry's restrictions of one chocolate frog a day (it was hard to keep it when most of Harry's gifts from his admirers were chocolate frogs), but only if Harry agreed not to let himself get hype up on the stuff again just to find info on a certain wizard or witch.

Now, Harry made his way down to the end-of-year feast alone. The Great Hall was already full and was decked out in Ravenclaw colors of blue and bronze. Ravenclaw House was excited and celebrating. There was a huge banner with a raven at the wall behind the High Table.

When Harry walked in, there was a sudden hush that lasted until Harry sat at his table.

Then Dumbledore arrived and the Hall quiet down quickly.

"Another year gone!" said Dumbledore cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are a little fuller than they were… you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts… Now, I understand it, the House Cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two points. In third, Slytherin, Four hundred and twenty-six points. Second Place, Gryffindor with four hundred and thirty-two points. Finally Ravenclaw House with four hundred and seventy-six points."

A storm of cheering came from Ravenclaw Table, while Slytherin House booed loudly.

"Yes, yes, well done, Ravenclaw," said Dumbledore, "However, recent event must be taken into account."

The room went very still as Ravenclaws quieted down.

"Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have last minute points to disk out. Let me see… yes. First—to Mr. Neville Longbottom! For managing to calm down while being strangled by Deville Snares to make sure his friends don't end up the same, I award him fifty points."

Neville's jaw dropped as Gryffindors cheered and patted Neville on the back.

"Next—to Mr. Ronald Weasley—for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor House, fifty points."

Ron turned as red as his hair as his brothers cheered. Even Percy was yelling for the other prefects to hear, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"

Then it quieted down.

"Thirdly, to Miss Hermione Granger… for the use of cool logic in the face of actual fire, I award Gryffindor House fifty points."

Hermione buried her face in her arms, probably to hide her tears. Now, not only Gryffindor regained the lead, but they gained the points Harry couldn't earn his house in the last game of Quidditch against Ravenclaw.

"Finally, to Mr. Harry Potter…" said Dumbledore causing the room to go quiet. "For reminding us that although we are sorted into one house, we can always depend on the good traits of the other houses by displaying cunningness, loyalty, wisdom, and most importantly bravery, against all odds., I award Gryfindor eighty points—twenty for each of the House traits he displayed."

Gryffindor cheered hard and loud as many clapped Harry on the back. Even Ravenclaw House didn't seem upset to lose the House cup for that reason.

"If my calculations the Second Generation of Maurders: Neville Longbottom, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter brought Gryffindor's total up to six hundred and sixty-two points, which requires a change in decoration."

With the clap of his hand, the blue and bronze colors became gold and scarlet, and the huge Ravenclaw's Raven turned into Gryffindor's Lion. Professor Flitwick shook Professor McGonagall's hand proudly.

…

The next day the exam results were out, much to Harry's confusion as he nearly forgotten. To his surprise, Harry marked second best out of the first year class in Transfigurations and Charms and first in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and tied with Hermione in best in Astronomy.

Hermione beat Harry though in being the best student over all, with only marking second in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but she wasn't too upset considering she knew the secret about Harry's uncle Moony.

Ron and Neville manage to pass with good marks too.

They had hope that Goyle and Crabbe failed but unfortunately they barely scraped by passing scores.

Now their wardrobes were empty, their trunks packed, and Neville's toad secure. Notes were handed out to all students under seventeen to not use magic outside of school. Hagrid took them down to the fleet of boats and they sailed across the lake—the opposite direction they came from when they first arrived at Hogwarts.

James boarded with Harry Hermione Ron and Neville, much to Harry's embarrassment, on the Hogwarts express.

As soon as they got to King Cross station, they lined up to go through gates twos and threes so they don't attract any Muggle attention as they go through the wall.

Ron and Harry made plans to meet up during the summer after the Dursley visit.

On the otherside, much to Harry's surprise was his uncles.

"Hey, Harry!" Sirius greeted. "Did you had a good first year?"

"Uncle Padfoot, Uncle Moony, what are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"We thought we come to see you before your father takes you to the Dursleys," Remus said.

"We heard what you did for Hogwarts," Sirius said, ruffling Harry's hair. "I must admit, what you and your friends did by far out did anything we use to do."

"That's for sure," James said, walking up. "If you're done, we must go."

"Do we have to go to the Dursleys?" Harry asked.

"Sorry, kiddo, but we have to," James told him. "The sooner we get this visit done the sooner you can have fun with your friends and enjoy the rest of the summer."

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you guys enjoy the story so far. The next one is 'The Son and Nephew of the Maurders: the Chamber of Secrets"

Summary: What could be worse than Voldemort trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone? Try the heir of Slytherin opening the Chamber of Secrets and releasing an ancient monster on all Muggle-borns and Squibs. But who could this heir of Slytherin be? And why is it a house elf is trying to kick Harry out of Hogwarts while all of it is happening? Only one way to find out.


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